How the FBI Responded to Elon Musk's Email Isn't Shocking. The Lib Media...
Possibly The Dumbest Example Of Waste DOGE Has Discovered (So Far)
Maine Governor Janet Mills: Leader Of The New Confederate States of America
A Quick Bible Study Vol. 256: What the New Testament Says About Pride...
Zelensky Offers to Resign for Peace, but There's a Catch
There's Been a Bomb Threat on an American Airlines Flight
So-Called 'Journalist' Tries to Play Race Card Against Trump, But it Backfires
Dem Gov. Under Fire for Paying Cabinet Members Sweet Bonuses in 2024
It’s Over: Joy Reid’s MSNBC Show Canceled
Trump Seeks to Sell the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco
JD Vance Dominates CPAC Straw Poll as Leading Contender for 2028 GOP Nomination
Tony Evers Aims to Change 'Mother' to 'Inseminated Person'
Israel Does Not Have the Kishkes* to Win
USAID is Funding Political Persecution in Ukraine
Congress Must Cancel Foreign Derived Intangible Income Tax Break
OPINION

Sequestration: Governors Are a Special Interest Too

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

The president made an appearance at the National Governors Association’s winter meeting to drum up support for his position that the sequestration spending cuts should be mitigated with tax hikes. The president understands that state politicians are dependent on federal handouts (see chart below), which makes them ideal candidates to help him convince the citizenry that spending cuts would usher in the apocalypse.  

In the battle with congressional Republicans over sequestration, it would be particularly helpful to the president to have Republican governors fan the flames. The post-appearance coverage that I’ve read indicates that some GOP governors took the bait and others did not. For instance, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal dismissed the president’s position as “just trying to scare the American people.” On the other hand, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell expressed dissatisfaction with congressional Republicans (and the president’s) inability to come to an agreement to avoid sequestration. 

If an article in Politico is accurate, however, Republican governors are working behind the scenes to get congressional Republicans to acquiesce: 

The new rumblings match what’s been going on behind the scenes for months. Governors have publicly signed on to letters bashing Obama and praising House Republicans’ efforts, but privately their offices have been urging lawmakers to work harder to avoid potentially devastating cuts — particularly those that could hit local programs. 

Having worked for a Republican governor who made it a mission for his state to grab as many federal dollars as possible, I have zero reason to doubt that this is the case. The reason is simple: every federal dollar that a state politician can spend is a dollar that he or she doesn’t have to ask his or her voters to part with. Thus, state politicians love the “free” money from the feds and expend great effort (and additional taxpayer money) trying to obtain it. 

Of course, it isn’t really free.

Advertisement

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos