‘It’s irresponsible and reckless to take money from American taxpayers and use it to save liberal politicians like Cuomo…’
(Michael Barnes, Liberty Headlines) Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., confronted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday over recent comments the Democratic governor made about him.
Earlier in the week, Scott penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that criticized fiscally irresponsible states like New York for attempting to extort Wuhan-virus-related small-business funding to plug massive government pension debts.
Cuomo responded by lashing out during a media briefing on Wednesday.
“New York state bails you out every year,” he complained. “We bail them out every year … $29 million more every year into the federal pot that we don’t get back.”
But Scott wasn’t having it. Along with California and Illinois, New York is among the most financially mismanaged states in the country. So Scott essentially told Cuomo to grow up and make better decisions.
“Yesterday, Governor Cuomo used his daily briefing as an opportunity to attack me to distract from the fact that he wants his state bailed out by Florida taxpayers,” Scott said in a statement.
“Florida has made the tough choices that New York has refused to make for decades and can get through this crisis without a bailout,” he said.
Scott, formerly a top executive for a private hospital chain, first entered politics during the Tea Party election wave in 2010, serving two terms as Florida governor.
Despite immense pressure, he resisted Obamacare, helped lead a roaring economic recovery in the wake of the Great Recession, and oversaw one million new jobs.
Florida’s population exploded during his tenure and blew past New York’s.
In fact, many former New York residents and businesses fled to the Sunshine State for the more favorable tax rates and cost of living.
Among those who made the exodus were President Donald Trump, who famously exited his home state last year facing persecution from New York officials, and Blanca Ocasio–Cortez, the mother of far-left congresswoman Alexandria.
Scott previously dismantled Cuomo’s claims that New York contributed disproportionately to supporting other states, noting that his own state was now generously covering the health care costs of many retirees who paid massive amounts into New York’s system.
“How do you explain the fact that New York has 2 million fewer people than Florida and a budget twice the size of Florida’s?” he asked Cuomo in his statement.
Scott also bristled that Democrats have dismissed it as “somehow attacking states with significant cases of coronavirus” anytime someone questioned their attempted cash-grab of federal emergency funding.
“It’s irresponsible and reckless to take money from American taxpayers and use it to save liberal politicians like Cuomo from the consequences of their poor choices,” he said.