DeSantis Says Florida ‘Returning’ $878 Million in Federal Funds

On March 21, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state returned $878 million to the federal government following a meeting with government efficiency lead Elon Musk.

The Details: DeSantis said that Florida had been “trying to return” the funds “for years” but was unable to “due to the ideological strings attached by the Biden Administration.” DeSantis claimed the Biden administration “couldn't even figure out how to accept it,” and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “got this done in the same day.”

Initial Coverage: The story was not widely covered by mainstream media, though Fox News’ (Right bias) television counterpart covered it on air. DeSantis’ X post got over 33 million views. Newsweek (Center) and The Center Square (Lean Right) covered DeSantis’ remarks mostly at face value.

Fact Check: On March 25, The Miami Herald (Lean Left) described DeSantis’ claim as “misleading” and wrote, “The money DeSantis said he was ‘returning’ was for two federal programs that Florida never asked for in the first place.” The Herald reportedly obtained the full memo from DeSantis’ office that said the “returns” included $320 million from Biden’s emissions reduction program that Florida already “formally rejected” in December 2023 and the “authority to spend” $558 million on refugee social services.

AllSides Analysis: The Miami Herald did not offer significant further context on the $558 million other than that on March 24, DeSantis told reporters his government returned it. The premise of the fact check seems to imply DeSantis is being misleading because Florida never asked for the funds. DeSantis’ statement doesn’t say whether or not Florida asked for the money.

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