The Biden administration on Tuesday ordered Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to stop using the state’s federal pandemic funding on a pair of new education grants that can only be directed to schools without mask mandates. In a letter to Ducey, the Treasury Department said the grant programs are “not a permissible use” of the funding. Ducey, a Republican, created the grant programs in August to put pressure on school districts that have defied the state’s ban on mask mandates. The Treasury Department said the conditions “undermine evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.” The governor's office said it is reviewing the letter and plans to respond.
Feds say AZ can't use COVID-19 funds for anti-mask grants
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/858d89f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2008+0+0/resize/880x589!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fknau%2Ffiles%2F202110%2Fmask_0.jpeg)
AP