Cruz: We Shouldn’t Bail Out States for ‘Irresponsibility and Fiscally Reckless Policies’ from Before Pandemic

In a Wednesday interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) weighed in on states and local governments requesting additional relief funding amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Cruz acknowledged the importance of providing states and local governments aid for the crisis, but argued against providing funding to states “for irresponsibility and fiscally reckless policies” from before the pandemic began.

“States and local governments are on the front lines dealing with this and I think that relief was important,” Cruz outlined. “As we return to session — and the Senate is back in session this week, so I’m in Washington — we have all been working from home for the past month but back here now, we’re in the midst of a discussion about will there be another legislative package. And it seems that the top priority of congressional Democrats is what you just raised, Andrew, which is … Nancy Pelosi is talking about a trillion dollars or more that she wants to send to the states and the local governments. And I’ll tell you the concern with that, which is that there are a number of states that have been highly irresponsible and have not lived within their means, and have dug unsupportable pension holes that have nothing to go this crisis, that pre-existed this crisis.”

“If we’re focused on dealing with the coronavirus crisis, fine, but it shouldn’t be an excuse to bail out states for irresponsibility and fiscally reckless policies that long preceded the coronavirus pandemic,” he concluded.

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