Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is suing the Biden administration over its demand that the state stop sending millions in federal COVID-19 relief money to schools if they don’t have mask requirements or close due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
The lawsuit filed in Phoenix federal court on Friday comes a week after the U.S. Treasury Department demanded that Ducey either restructure the $163 million program to eliminate restrictions it says undermine public health recommendations or pay back the money.
The Treasury also wants changes to a $10 million program Ducey created that gives private school tuition money to parents if their children’s schools have mask mandates.
Arizona has received about half of the $4.2 billion awarded to it under the 2021 coronavirus relief bill.
Gov. Doug Ducey sounded off on the letter earlier this month, saying Biden's administration is "out of touch with the American people" and should instead focus on assisting Arizona with ongoing border issues.
"When it comes to education, President Biden wants to continue focusing on masks. In Arizona, we’re going to focus on math and getting kids caught up after a year of learning loss," Ducey said in a Friday tweet.
