Arizona Governor Accuses Previous Administration of ‘Illegally’ Allocating $50 Million in Government Funds

Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, left, signs the official Arizona general election canvass document as Katie Hobbs, the Democratic governor-elect and current secretary of state, second from left, looks on while Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, second from right, and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, right, sit at the table as well during a signing ceremony at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 5, 2022. Ross D. Franklin/Pool/AP Photo

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has accused the previous state administration of misappropriating $50 million in government funds.

The funds were part of what the federal government provided to Arizona under the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan,” an effort by the Biden administration, signed into law in March 2021, that intended to mitigate the economic impacts of government-mandated restrictions and lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.