IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa’s governor said the state’s $26 million contract to increase coronavirus testing was reached after she acted on a tip from actor Ashton Kutcher, a revelation that increased skepticism about the no-bid deal.
Critics of Gov. Kim Reynolds said they were puzzled by the celebrity’s cameo in Iowa’s outbreak response, particularly when the state has been slow to tap some of its own experts.
Reynolds, a Republican, said she recently called Kutcher, an Iowa native, to ask him to record a public service announcement urging residents to stay home.
Kutcher asked whether she'd heard about TestUtah, a public-private partnership recently launched to increase testing, Reynolds said.