Florida Sen. Rick Scott accused those advocating for federal funding for the states of trying to make states such as Florida bail out others led by Democrats.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, asked the Senate to vote on a bill that would remove CARES Act funding guardrails prohibiting states from using federal funds to help close budget shortfalls on operating expenses triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. In a speech from the Senate floor on Wednesday, Scott, another Republican, argued that the provision must remain in place to prevent a “blank check bailout” to liberal states.
“Let’s talk about who we are bailing out. Not those on unemployment. We took care of them in the CARES Act. Not our teachers. We took care of them in the CARES Act. Not our healthcare workers. We took care of them in the CARES Act. We are bailing out liberal politicians who cannot live within their means, and now we are asking Floridians to pay for the incompetency of governors like Andrew Cuomo,” Scott said.
“We cannot give hard-earned taxpayer money to poorly managed states that are going to turn around and spend it on their liberal priorities and to back-fill their budget shortfalls and solve their longstanding fiscal problems,” he continued. “States like California, Illinois, and New York have big budgets, high taxes, and tons of debt because they refuse to make the hard choices and live within their means.”
Scott noted that Florida’s population has grown over the past several years and alleged that people have been moving there to avoid the tax burdens of other states. He also explained that he was governor of Florida during a budget shortfall, which he worked to correct.
“It’s irresponsible and reckless to take money from America’s taxpayers and use it to save liberal politicians from the consequences of their poor choices,” he said.
Cuomo has dismissed arguments similar to Scott’s by highlighting that New York, one of the largest states in the country, has paid more to the federal government than small population states, such as Kentucky.
Kennedy has acknowledged that he does not want Democratic states to use funding from the CARES Act as a bailout, but he argued that states should have the flexibility to move money where it is needed.
“Local and state governments are struggling to serve their people in the face of an incredible health crisis. Louisianians know all about weathering hard providences. While it’s not the federal government’s job to bail out local and state officials who spent recklessly, giving those governments the flexibility to do maximum good for their communities — with money they already have — is a no-brainer. This bill gives state and local leaders the chance to regain their fiscal footing without putting American taxpayers on the hook for even more spending,” he said of the legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill put forward by House Democrats on Tuesday that includes an additional $1 trillion in funding for state and local governments that have fallen into debt due to revenue shortfalls triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
