Scott Calls out Treasury Department on American Rescue Plan Money

Last year, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) voiced his disapproval of a “blue state bailout.” The former Governor of Florida even wrote an op-ed on the subject. On Monday, the Treasury Department announced that it would be releasing $350 billion to state and local governments as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. $8.81 billion of that money will be split in two payments and will be directed to the Sunshine State, and Senator Scott commented on the financial announcement, which yielded results much less than Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and the state of Florida estimated they would be receiving.

Senator Scott slammed the announcement from the Treasury Department, sharing that he felt it was another example of the federal government involving itself in a “blue state bailout.” “We knew then that state and local governments didn’t need more federal money, but Democrats in Washington insisted on moving forward with their radical and wasteful plan to give $350 billion in taxpayer money to these states that have been irresponsibly spending for decades,” Scott said.

The Florida lawmaker further, questioning that “now that they are seeing fiscal good fortune on the back of the taxpayers, do you think they are going to be responsible? Do you think they’ll stop raising taxes?”

Scott doesn’t believe so.

Calling “this bailout… nothing more than a liberal payback to governors who helped elect them,” Scott added that “we need to get serious about how we’re spending taxpayer money.” He affirmed that “this madness has to stop, and I continue to urge local and state governments to be responsible and reject and return any money in excess of COVID-related expenses.”

Scott has also made calls for Governor DeSantis to return COVID-related money to the federal government, but the Florida Governor has not responded to Scott’s calls.