(From State Auditor Nicole Galloway)The latest monthly reports from State Auditor Nicole Galloway detailing state government's use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response show Missouri has received more than $5 billion since April 2020.
As the state's financial watchdog, the State Auditor's Office has issued the reports since June 2020 examining Missouri government's distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs passed by Congress.
The most recent reports show Missouri's spending of federal assistance for the months of September and October, as well as the cumulative expenditures since the state began receiving funding in April 2020. The state spent $152 million in September and $112 million in October; through Oct. 31, 2021, Missouri had received $5.04 billion and spent $4.71 billion of this assistance.
A significant portion of the expenditures to date were for services through the state's Medicaid program, MO HealthNet and other programs receiving federal matching funds ($1.29 billion), and funding passed through to counties and the City of St. Louis ($521 million). Other funding has been provided to schools, institutions of higher education, child care providers, long-term care facilities and developmental disabilities waiver providers. Funds have also been used for food and nutrition programs, mental health services, purchase of personal protective equipment, virus testing, contact tracing, vaccine preparedness and access, workforce development, economic development programs for small businesses, COVID-19 dedicated personnel costs, emergency rental assistance and other disaster relief purposes.
In addition to the monthly report examining the state's spending, the Auditor's Office also has an online tool to give Missourians a detailed look at expenditures. The COVID-19 Response page tracks not only how much is received and expended in relief funds, but also lists which state and local government departments, vendors and expense categories are receiving the most funding. The information on the website provides data on expenditures and is updated regularly.
Auditor Galloway's efforts are similar to work performed by the previous State Auditor's administration, which reviewed the state's use of funds received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under Article IV, Section 13 of the Missouri Constitution, the State Auditor has a duty to ensure the accuracy of the state's accounting of its spending.
A copy of the report on Missouri spending of federal assistance in September can be found here; the report for spending in October can be found here.
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