As pundits debate who won and lost in the high-stakes debt debate that gripped Washington for the past month, I’d like to toss out the name of a winner — Florida’s Republican governor, Rick Scott.
Scott, who has an abysmal 27% approval rating, may be the most unpopular governor in the country. His aggressive push for conservative reforms — including merit pay for teachers, partial Medicaid privatization and intense budget cuts — has drawn the ire of labor unions and a myriad of Florida special interests. However, his most controversial and infamous move was his decision earlier this year to turn down $2.4 billion in federal funds that would have gone towards the construction of a proposed high-speed rail line in the Sunshine State.
Scott took political heat for that decision back in February, and still does today. But the debt deal may have vindicated his decision.
If there’s one thing that the debt deal makes clear, it’s that the era of unchecked government spending is over. Not because the deal solves the problem (it hardly dents it), but because having just seen the House’s aggressive Tea Party caucus in action, I’m certain that any future spending bills that come out of Congress will be carefully measured, trimmed and cleaned. States and cities are already bracing themselves for cuts, as the federal money tree that they have liberally picked from for decades begins to fall down.
So it’s easy to see why, thanks to Scott’s skeptical attitude towards federal funds, Florida has emerged from this debt debacle as a winner.
Take a look at Scott’s reasons for rejecting the high-speed rail funds back in February, and you’ll see arguments that, today, seem entirely reasonable. Scott expressed a concern that federal funding would come with too many strings attached. Overly optimistic ridership estimates would mean that Florida would be obligated to pay additional costs, out of its own budget, for years. Scott has used similar justifications for turning down other federal grants.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. While federal money may be “free” today, tomorrow it turns into another budget-eating program. Not to mention that the federal funds Washington is doling out are simply borrowed money. Scott recognized this, and when offered the “free” funds, he said, “No, thank you.” Like a young adult learning how to become financially independent from his parents, Florida was going to find its own way.
That was a wise strategy to take. Now, Washington is all about cuts, and seemingly everything is poised to land on the chopping block. States are panicking about how to fund their obligations once federal funds dry up. In this new era of fiscal responsibility, states will need to think twice before accepting federal money.
Those states should look to Florida — and Gov. Scott — for cues.
Andrew Clark, a former writer for Politics Daily, is a graduate student at The George Washington University, studying media and public affairs. You can follow him on Twitter @AndrewHClark.