Rick Scott: 'Not Fair' to Bail Out Indebted States via Coronavirus Bill

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said on Monday that it is not fair for taxpayers to bail out indebted states, such as New York, Illinois, and California, via a future coronavirus package.

Scott slammed a Democrat proposal to use federal funds to aid struggling state and local governments, which could reach as high as $700 billion.

“It’s not fair to the taxpayers of Florida. We sit here, we live within our means, and then New York, Illinois, California, and other states don’t. And we’re supposed to go bail them out? That’s not right,” Scott told reporters:

“I get it, we should help states with the coronavirus … [but] the federal government doesn’t pay for everything. And states have an obligation, cities have an obligation to balance their budgets and watch how they spend money, too,” he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hopes to include the proposal in the next coronavirus spending package. “There will be a bill, and it will be expensive,” she said last week.

Scott’s statement follows as President Donald Trump has slammed Democrat proposals to aid “poorly run states.”

Trump wrote, “Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help?”

He added, “I am open to discussing anything, but just asking?”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) poured cold water on the notion that Senate Republicans would back a bailout of indebted states.

“I said yesterday we’re going to push the pause button here, because I think this whole business of additional assistance for state and local governments needs to be thoroughly evaluated,” McConnell said last week. “You raised yourself the important issue of what states have done, many of them have done to themselves with their pension programs.”

“There’s not going to be any desire on the Republican side to bail out state pensions by borrowing money from future generations,” he added.