Rhode Island as of June 9 had spent or committed less than $185 million of $1.25 billion received from the federal government for expenses related to COVID-19.
Plans laid out that day by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s administration before a General Assembly committee for up to $1.1 billion in additional spending included efforts ranging from additional testing to hospital and nursing home support.
Missing from the list, however, was funding for the state’s small businesses. Many of those businesses are struggling to survive because they were forced to shut down or curtail operations to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
While no government spending list can satisfy everyone, are state leaders on the right track with their priorities for the federal aid?
