Stimulus Revenue for S.C. Exceeds a Half-Billion Dollars
August 18, 2009COLUMBIA, SC – August 18, 2009 – More than $513 million in federal stimulus money has come to South Carolina’s state agencies and programs so far. The majority has gone to Medicaid and unemployment benefits.
Here’s a breakdown:
- $333.3 million- Department of Health and Human Services (Medicaid)
- $ 78.3 million- Employment Security Commission
- $ 42.0 million- Department of Social Services
- $ 23.1 million- Department of Public Safety
- $ 17.8 million- Department of Education
- $ 12.4 million- Governor’s Office
- $ 3.9 million- Department of Commerce
- $ 2.3 million- Department of Health and Environmental Control
- $ 260,000- Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging
- $ 69,000- Vocational Rehabilitation
- $ 24,000- Department of Transportation
- $ 19,000- Budget and Control Board
Total: $ 513,491,165
There are widely differing views on the stimulus, and I have offered mine: We’re spending money we don’t have on many things we don’t need. Too little is going to create jobs in our economy-at-large and too much is going to grow government programs. What’s becoming more and more clear is that the stimulus isn’t working as advertised, as unemployment has long surpassed the eight percent benchmark set by the White House.
Still, regardless of one’s personal feelings on this spending package, South Carolinians must be able to have faith that each dollar that comes into the state is being carefully monitored and accounted for. We have put oversight and controls in place to be sure the money is spent as permitted by law and we will be reporting on how it’s been spent.
Richard Eckstrom
State Comptroller