Detroit’s mayor urged others to speed up putting American Rescue Plan Act funds to use and to take special care that spending adheres to federal rules. He’s not the only one raising concerns.
With House Republicans demanding major cuts in federal spending in return for raising the nation’s debt limit, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan warned other mayors on Wednesday to spend all of their American Rescue Plan Act funding sooner rather than later in case Congress tries to claw it back later this year.
“I would say to you that if you can responsibly speed up the obligations, I would say you do want to consider doing it,” Duggan said. He also urged mayors to have independent auditors, in addition to city compliance staff, examine and attest that ARPA funds are being spent properly, in ways that adhere to the law and Treasury Department guidelines.
“None of us wants to get our projects named in a congressional hearing in the next year or two,” he said. Duggan added: “I hope eight months from now, 10 months from now, 60 months from now, we’re not in a big fight to hang on to the obligated money.”
Route Fifty
by Keri Murakami
JAN 18, 2023