MADISON — On Feb. 2, the Wisconsin Department of Administration provided an updated accounting of federal funds invested in public health, emergency response efforts and economic stabilization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This update follows the latest report to the federal Treasury Department of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds. The nearly $2 billion was allocated by the Evers Administration from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was made available to Wisconsin through the federal government.  

As of Jan. 22, the state expended or obligated $1.81 billion of the nearly $2 billion allocated. The deadline to spend CARES funds was extended in late 2020; the new deadline now being Dec. 31. With the end of the pandemic remaining unknown and the needs of Wisconsin communities, health care providers, families, businesses, and individuals continuing to shift, the Administration remains committed to responsible fiscal stewardship.  As such, CARES allocations will be monitored and adjusted as needed.  

Additional information on these efforts is available on Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Investment dashboard website. The website provides transparent and regularly updated information regarding how and where Wisconsin is investing federal funding, including significant funding from the federal CARES Act.  

As of Feb. 2, Wisconsin has had 543,165 positive COVID-19 cases, 24,337 hospitalizations, and 5,897 deaths due to COVID-19. Current trends continuing to show an increase in cases in Wisconsin, requiring continued investment in these detection and mitigation efforts. The Administration is continuing to make regular revisions to allocations to reflect actual costs to ensure Wisconsin can utilize funds before the federal deadline.