New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie defended expanding Medicaid in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood released on Monday.
Christie said, “expanding Medicaid was what was best for the people of my state.”
He further argued that he did not grow government or expanded an entitlement saying, “we already had Medicaid at 200% of the poverty level in New Jersey. That was put into effect well before I became governor. What it did was make money for the state of New Jersey, about 220 million dollars a year.”
Christie added that he isn’t critical of governors, such as fellow Republican candidate Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who rejected Medicaid expansion. He maintained that expanding Medicaid was “best for the state of New Jersey,” and governors are supposed to do what’s best for their state, “not some national political agenda for themselves.”
He concluded that if the federal government breaks its promise of “no less than 90% reimbursement for the expansion” he would reverse it.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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