Home Depot – Sen. Rick Scott: ‘We must always not have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York’

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., argued on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden‘s coronavirus aid plan, which requires a $350 billion “bailout” for state and native governments, “makes no sense.”

“We shouldn’t have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York” and different blue states for his or her prior issues, he confused.

Scott made the feedback on “Fox & Friends Weekend” three days after Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus proposal that is designed to jump-start the nation’s sputtering financial system and speed up vaccine distribution to manage the lethal pandemic.

Biden needs to supply state, native and territorial governments with $350 billion in emergency funding to assist them hold front-line employees employed and support with vaccine distribution, COVID-19 testing, reopening faculties and “sustaining different very important providers.”

Funding for state and native governments emerged as probably the most contentious points throughout practically a half-year of aid negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, who decried the proposal as a “blue-state bailout.” Unable to compromise on the problem, lawmakers ultimately determined to exclude state and native authorities support from the $900 billion aid deal they handed in December.

Scott known as the funding to state and native governments, particularly New York, “liberal payback.”

He made the feedback after Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly mentioned the state might get as a lot as $2 billion extra in FEMA emergency cash for the coronavirus pandemic by Biden’s large aid plan.

Below Biden’s plan, $30 billion can be invested into FEMA’s Catastrophe Aid Fund and a part of that can cowl the price of a 100% federal reimbursement for COVID-19 emergency responses by state and native governments, Newsday reported, citing the Biden transition group. Subsequently, states like New York, which has been declared a COVID-19 emergency catastrophe space, will reportedly not need to cowl 25% of the prices, which is usually the case for many FEMA emergency catastrophe funding.

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In a cellphone interview Schumer, known as the event “good news” for New York, including that “this can imply $2 billion to New York between the state and native governments,” Newsday reported.

Scott mentioned that added monetary aid to New York is “Joe Biden saying, ‘Chuck Schumer you helped me, [New York City Mayor Bill] de Blasio you helped, so here’s $2 billion out of FEMA.’”

Scott famous the cash, which has been allotted by Congress, is “supposed to go for hurricanes and floods and wildfires and other natural disasters.” However as an alternative, Scott mentioned, Biden needs to offer it to de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “and say, ‘Here … I know you can’t live within your means, I know other states have paid for this, but we’re just going to give you some money just because we like you.’”

“This is wrong,” Scott mentioned. “We shouldn’t have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York. New York can’t stay inside its means.

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“We can’t be bailing out these states for his or her prior issues,” he added, noting that billions of {dollars} have already been allotted to states and native governments for COVID-19 aid.

“We ought to assistance on COVID aid, I would like focused assist for folks, however to bail out these blue states is senseless,” Scott confused.

A spokesperson with Biden’s transition group didn’t instantly reply to Fox Enterprise’ request for remark.

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Fox Enterprise’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.