Was Gov. Daniel J. McKee right to commit all of the state’s unspent $1 billion in federal pandemic aid in his proposed fiscal 2023 budget?

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GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE during his State of the State address Tuesday proposed creating a Rhode Island Higher Ed Academy to help Rhode Islanders pursue higher education and training that may not only increase the state’s overall workforce but also put the Ocean State on a path toward long-term economic recovery. AP FILE PHOTO/STEVEN SENNE
GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE’s fiscal 2023 spending plan commits all of the state’s roughly $1 billion in remaining American Rescue Plan Act pandemic aid. AP FILE PHOTO/STEVEN SENNE

Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s proposed $12.8 billion fiscal 2023 budget commits all of the state’s roughly $1 billion in remaining American Rescue Plan Act pandemic aid.

Nearly half of that money, $431 million, is ticketed for one-time spending that would be doled out in the next fiscal year. The rest would be spent over the following four fiscal years.

The state is not facing any immediate statutory deadline to spend the federal money. It has until 2024 to commit it.

But McKee sees no time to waste, proposing to spend it on housing, small businesses, public health, children, families and education and economic-workforce development.

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Is a gubernatorial election year the right time to commit such a large federal windfall?

Was Gov. Daniel J. McKee right to commit all of the state’s unspent $1B in federal pandemic aid in his proposed fiscal 2023 budget?

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