By Amanda Fries, includes “… ‘The federal government has already done its part. It has already sent money to the states both for flexible spending and for COVID-related expenses. It’s already done this, so let’s not pretend it hasn’t,’ said Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. ‘Most states haven’t even begun to spend down their COVID-related federal money, so for anyone to be talking about how more money would be exactly what they need is just incorrect.’ …”