Ted Cruz: Texans Should Not Bail Out 'Irresponsible' States

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in an interview on Wednesday that Texans should not bail out “irresponsible” states in a future coronavirus bill.

Cruz told CNBC:

I don’t see any reason why the people of Texas should have to pay higher taxes to bail out states that have been irresponsible. If we’re focused on dealing with the coronavirus crisis that’s fine, but it shouldn’t be an excuse to bail out states for fiscal irresponsibility and fiscally reckless policies.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democrats have pushed for a phase four coronavirus bill that would aid state and local governments.

Many conservatives have contended that the provision would amount to a bailout of heavily indebted states.

Cruz mentioned that Illinois has a $241 billion pension debt, which is the highest in the country.

“There is a reasonable case to be made for greater flexibility for the money we have already sent to the states and local governments,” Cruz said.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), a former governor of Florida, said that it is “not fair” to bail out indebted states such as New York, Illinois, and California.

“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.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

Ted Cruz: Texans Should Not Bail Out ‘Irresponsible’ States

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