How Detroit and Flint lost millions in federal grant money

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 27, 2015 at 5:00 PM EDT

The financial woes Detroit is facing aren't isolated.

Writer Liz Farmer explains why millions in federal grants for cities like Detroit and Flint are going unused.

When a struggling city is on its knees, every dollar is precious.

So the idea that millions in federal funds are being lost is appalling.

But a new report from the Government Accountability Office shows that's exactly what's happening in Detroit and Flint, as well as Camden, New Jersey and Stockton, California.

Liz Farmer is a public finance writer for Governing Magazine.

She dug into this report and joins us today to talk about how long this has been happening.

*Listen to the interview above.