Political Junky
Gold Member
- May 27, 2009
- 25,793
- 3,990
- 280
Fla. Gov. Scott bashed Obama's stimulus but kept $370 million of it in budget | McClatchy
Florida Gov. Rick Scott campaigned against President Obama's "failed stimulus" program yet the freshman politician kept nearly $370 million of the federal cash in the Florida budget he signed last week.
Scott's decision to keep the stimulus money stands out in a year when the governor touted record budget vetoes of up to $615 million. He emphasized the vetoes of wasteful spending at a Thursday event that featured a campaign-style Promises Made, Promises Kept banner.
But as he ran for office last summer, Scott said he would fight all the stimulus money. He also told reporters I would have figured out how to balance the budget without it.
When asked Tuesday why he appeared to reverse himself by keeping stimulus money, Scott didnt specifically answer.
I think the stimulus was not good for our state, made us more dependent on the federal government, he said, echoing a budget-signing letter he issued last week. I think that weve got to watch how we spend money. As you know, in the budget, I focused very much on how we spend our money, stopping the growth of debt in our state and making our state less dependent on the federal government.
<more>
Florida Gov. Rick Scott campaigned against President Obama's "failed stimulus" program yet the freshman politician kept nearly $370 million of the federal cash in the Florida budget he signed last week.
Scott's decision to keep the stimulus money stands out in a year when the governor touted record budget vetoes of up to $615 million. He emphasized the vetoes of wasteful spending at a Thursday event that featured a campaign-style Promises Made, Promises Kept banner.
But as he ran for office last summer, Scott said he would fight all the stimulus money. He also told reporters I would have figured out how to balance the budget without it.
When asked Tuesday why he appeared to reverse himself by keeping stimulus money, Scott didnt specifically answer.
I think the stimulus was not good for our state, made us more dependent on the federal government, he said, echoing a budget-signing letter he issued last week. I think that weve got to watch how we spend money. As you know, in the budget, I focused very much on how we spend our money, stopping the growth of debt in our state and making our state less dependent on the federal government.
<more>