'Vast majority' of funding promised by Trump for Kenosha can't be used for recovery, Baldwin, Evers say
MADISON, Wisconsin - Tens of millions in new federal funding promised by President Donald Trump for Kenosha, Wisconsin, can't be used to rebuild the city, Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin wrote Thursday in a letter to the president.
Wisconsin's top Democratic officials are asking Trump to dedicate funding specifically to rebuild the city torn apart in late August after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back multiple times.
The incident triggered violent protests, resulting in burned down buildings and two protesters of racial discrimination dead.
"We welcome your commitments, but are dismayed that the funding you announced in Kenosha will not be sufficient to rebuild and heal the Kenosha community," Evers and Baldwin wrote to Trump the same day the president is returning to Wisconsin to campaign for reelection.
"The vast majority of the funding you have already announced cannot be used to rebuild Kenosha following the unrest," Baldwin and Evers wrote.
In fact, just $1 million of the more than $40 million promised for Kenosha is new and none can be used for rebuilding buildings or businesses, according to the officials.
A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday. A spokesman for Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson also did not immediately respond to questions about whether Johnson agreed with the letter.
Trump visited Kenosha on Sept. 1, meeting with law enforcement and owners of buildings affected by the violence.
During a roundtable meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr and Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf, Trump announced his administration was dedicating more than $40 million to Wisconsin to rebuild from the unrest, including $4 million for Kenosha businesses that experienced damage and more money to prosecute crimes.
But Baldwin and Evers say the $4 million for small businesses was already earmarked by the federal relief bill known as the CARES Act for coronavirus pandemic-related losses, and can't be used for other purposes.
"It cannot be used for damages tied to the unrest," Baldwin and Evers wrote.
Of the $41 million announced by Trump and Barr on Sept. 1 for law enforcement, nearly all of it was already on its way to the state before the Kenosha unrest, according to the Democratic officials.
"In fact, it seems the only new funding you announced in Kenosha is $1 million for Kenosha law enforcement," Baldwin and Evers wrote. "Kenosha and Wisconsin will need a more robust federal response than you have already announced."
The U.S. Department of Justice did not characterize the $41 million as being just for Kenosha, but made the announcement in its wake.
"Awards will support community-based crime-fighting initiatives, local victim service programs, and the hiring and training of law enforcement officers and prosecutors," the department's Sept. 1 release on the grant funding said.
A spokeswoman for Democratic Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul did not immediately return a request for comment on the letter's characterization of the funding for law enforcement.
"Today’s grant money will help to bolster community-based crime-fighting initiatives and provide much needed support to victims affected by the recent violence," Barr said in a statement included in the release.
Kenosha County officials estimate the destruction to buildings and businesses in the wake of Blake's shooting could top $50 million.
Kenosha County Supervisor Terry Rose said at a recent meeting that 100 businesses were damaged and 40 may be out of business permanently as a result of the unrest.
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jacob Blake: Funding Trump promised can't be used to rebuild Kenosha
