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1/31/2022

Remarks by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo at White House Event with the National Governors Asso…

Remarks by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo at
White House Event with the National Governors Association
January 31, 2022

As prepared for delivery
Thank you for joining us here today. We know how important the work governors do is to the
health of our people and our economy because in so much of our work at the Department of
the Treasury, you are our most critical partners.
Iʼve seen your great work firsthand, in my travels across the country from Connecticut to
California, New York to Nevada, and elsewhere, where Iʼve seen countless innovative ways
American Rescue Plan funds are being used to meet immediate needs while also focusing on
an equitable economic recovery for the long term.
For example, Maryland is investing $92 million in helping connect workers impacted by the
pandemic connect to new employment through training, apprenticeships, transitional
employment, and summer youth programs, while Connecticut has created an innovative
program to use Emergency Rental Assistance funds to proactively help households pay their
utilities bills and keep the lights on, as well as stay in their homes.
Much of this work has been driven by the $350 billion the American Rescue Plan provided for
states and localities to ensure we did not repeat the mistakes of the last recession, where
state budget and job cuts held back the recovery for far too long.
This time is di erent: Treasury has paid out more than $245 billion to governments, over 99%
of funds available now, to help state and local governments expand COVID-19 testing and
vaccination programs; help businesses keep their employees and make it to the other side of
the pandemic; and make transformative investments to strengthen the communities hardesthit by the crisis.
We recently released the state and local Final Rule, where weʼve done everything we can to
make it easy for you to implement this program and focus on putting this money to work in
the places that need it.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0573

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1/31/2022

Remarks by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo at White House Event with the National Governors Asso…

I urge you to use these funds to confront the challenges that our economy and your
communities still face: continuing to fight the virus; bringing more workers into the labor
market; and investing in areas like broadband and a ordable housing that can build a more
equitable economy. And where in the last crisis governments shed workers, this is an
opportunity to use funds to retain and rehire the public employees who teach our kids and
keep our communities safe and healthy.
There is still more to do in all of these areas. But what I have seen over this year leaves me
hopeful about what we can accomplish together and the immense good these resources have
done to build economic resiliency for those most in need.

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https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0573

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