In 2020 and 2021 Colorado received more than $65 billion in federal aid money. The bulk of this money came in the form of direct stimulus payments to citizens and loans like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but a substantial portion of the funds went to state coffers, and notably $2.5 billion went to K-12 education.
On this edition of Common Sense Digest, Chairman and Host Earl Wright is joined by CSI’s Mike A. Leprino Fellow, Brenda Dickhoner, who recently authored a report on how that money was allocated, what it was spent on, and money that remains to be allocated. You can view that report here. Also joining the show is CSI’s Vice President of Policy and Research Chris Brown who has spent substantial time this year tracking the various federal spending bills and their impacts on Colorado.
They answer and discuss the questions that should be on all Colorado citizens’ minds: Where did that money go? Where will it go? Who is accountable for its allocation? And how can we as citizens get involved to advocate for and ensure the money gets where it’s needed most. You will walk away from this episode with a much more sophisticated understanding of federal stimulus money and its impact in Colorado.
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