Schumer to GOP Govs: No A La Carte

[Elidor]

Source: TPM

Just released from Sen. Schumer's office ...
Schumer to GOP governors: Stimulus isn't a la carte menu

WASHINGTON, DC--Senator Charles Schumer released the following letter Tuesday urging the Obama administration to notify governors that they must certify acceptance of stimulus funding in full or not at all, rather than selectively approving and rejecting the law's various components.

February 24, 2009

Dear Director Orszag:

In recent days, a small minority of governors, mostly Republicans, have publicly weighed the possibility of foregoing certain emergency provisions provided under the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed last week by President Obama. I believe this prospect not only would undercut the stimulative effect of the recovery package, but also is inconsistent with a key provision included in the law passed by Congress. To protect the integrity of the recovery program, I urge the administration to issue implementation guidance clarifying that while any Governor may exercise his or her discretion to accept or reject the federal funds provided in the stimulus, no Governor should have the authority to arbitrarily adopt a select subset of the overall package.

As you know, Section 1607(a) of the economic recovery legislation provides that the Governor of each state must certify a request for stimulus funds before any money can flow. No language in this provision, however, permits the governor to selectively adopt some components of the bill while rejecting others. To allow such picking and choosing would, in effect, empower the governors with a line-item veto authority that President Obama himself did not possess at the time he signed the legislation. It would also undermine the overall success of the bill, as the components most singled out for criticism by these governors are among the most productive measures in terms of stimulating the economy.

For instance, at least two governors have proposed rejecting a program to expand unemployment insurance for laid-off workers. Economists consistently rank unemployment insurance among the most efficient and cost-effective fiscal stimulus measures; by one frequently cited estimate, it provides an economic return of as high as $1.73 for every dollar invested. Thus, by denying this provision for their residents, these governors are not just depriving some of the neediest Americans of relief in a dire economy; they are undermining the overall stimulative impact of the package.

No one would dispute that these governors should be given the choice as to whether to accept the funds or not. But it should not be multiple choice. The composition of the package was rightly dictated by economic considerations; we should not let the implementation of the package be dictated by political considerations.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

Read more: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/02/schumer_to_gop_govs_take_it_or_leave_it.php

---

Hehehe.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. Good. nt

[mulsh]

2. refuse unemployment funds? very impressive move gov.

I hope Schumer prevails on this issue. the one good thing attempting to refuse additional unemployment funds does is to reinforce the fact that shitstain pols aren't looking out for constituents best interests. way to build a national reputation boys. keep it up.

thank you Mr. Schumer, you keep it up too.

[blueclown]

3. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

[MelissaB]

14. Here! Let me help.

K&R

[Wetzelbill]

21. it's ok, I got your back for one more.

:)

[radfringe]

4. WOOT! NO CHERRY PICKING! n/t

[happygoluckytoyou]

5. refuse the $$$..... my state wants it.... and yours could use a new governator ! ! !

[otohara]

6. Tee Hee - Take That Hypocrites

all or nothing - no more posturing like you're not taking the $$$$$, when in reality that's a big fat lie.

[Jefferson23]

7. I'm very glad he fired back with this, good for you Schumer!

[Elidor]

13. It's a rare day when I'm pleased with Schumer

But kudos for him. This is delicious. Mwahahahaha.

[indepat]

63. A rightly earned kudos: now if Schumer can earn another 99, maybe those would

mostly wipe the slate clean for his having saddled us with an ass-wipe AG. :P

[Spazito]

8. Good to read!

I was wondering if those Governors would be able to pick and choose what they would take and what they would not, it seemed odd to me if that were the case.

All or nothing, makes sense to me.

Recommended.

[AlbertCat]

58. Pick & choose

I was wondering if those Governors would be able to pick and choose what they would take and what they would not, it seemed odd to me if that were the case.

**************

Just like every other similar law, y'know. You can get funding for schools but segregate black & white kids. You can get gov money for parks, but keep the Jews out. You can get bucks for faith based projects as long as queers don't benefit.

That kinda thing. Of course REPUG Gov's are thinking this way! What's wrong with it?


oh...and :sarcasm:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. i am absolutely w.schumer on this.

[xxqqqzme]

10. '...unemployment insurance ....provides an economic return

of as high as $1.73 for every dollar invested....' And food stamps return $1.76.

Do rethuglican'ts practice selective ignorance (they are so good at it) or is it genetic?

[Hansel]

64. They want to have their cake and eat it too.

They want the money that will be least effective in stimulating their states' economy to help them to make ends meet. That way their economy won't completely collapse, yet they will still be able to complain about how ineffective Obama's stimulus package was for how much he spent. Then they can campaign on the need to elect more Republicans to get rid of these tax and spend Liberals.

When are these fools' supporters going to wake up and realize that Republicans have no respect for them or this country? It's all about the accumulation of power and control.

[DemoTex]

11. Oh HELL yes! Suck on that Goobernor Mark Sanford.

"The composition of the package was rightly dictated by economic considerations; we should not let the implementation of the package be dictated by political considerations."

[Beetwasher]

12. Ha Ha! BUSTED!

Check and mate. :rofl:

[Tyler Generation]

15. And....

The GOP slips further into irrelevancy!

[cosmicone]

16. K&R

[Kajsa]

17. Ahnold has no problems excepting the money.

And he said if the other GOP governors don't
want their share of the money-

he'll take it!

[iamjoy]

33. Crist Too!

So did our governor - Charlie Crist (Florida). He is a strong supporter of the stimulus. It sounds like there are at least two Republican governors who are willing to put people before politics. They know darn well that without this federal bail out, the states are going down big time.

I really should write Charlie Crist a thank you letter. Even if I assume he is playing politics from a different angle than the Jindals, Palins and Sanfords he is taking a big risk. He could very well be making his name Mudd in the Republican party. One has to wonder if it is worth it to win over moderates and get grudging acceptance from Liberals who aren't going to vote for him anyway.

If nothing else, Govs. Crist and Schwarzenegger are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

[Kajsa]

72. I agree,iamjoy!

"Govs. Crist and Schwarzenegger are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons."

- very well stated!

:) :hi:

[LynneSin]

18. When is Mark Sanford up for re-election. South Carolinians need to toss him out like bad fruit

Nothing you can do with this idiot

[DemoTex]

27. I don't think Sanford can run for Goobernor again.

But he acts like he is running for either Jim DimWit's seat in the Senate or for POTUS.

:puke:

[AlbertCat]

59. Can you say "presidential aspirations"?

I thought that you could.

Now say "snow ball's chance in hell"

Good!

[Claire Beth]

19. yes! n/t

[Lasher]

20. Schumer has a spine.

Now that's refreshing. Message to GOP: You lost. Get over it. The adults are in charge now. Shut the fuck up.

[NBachers]

62. If you children can't behave, then you're going out in the hall

There's no need to let the other kids get pulled down by you.

[WolverineDG]

22. So they can't pick & choose which to accept

Good! Because I know Perry in Texas will only take the $$ that he can somehow get to his big donors or otherwise sneak into his own back pocket.

dg

[Zambero]

23. Looks like Bobby J. will need another "defining" issue for 2012

Not that cutting off unemployment compensation in LA for those in dire need during a severe depression would have cinched the nomination for him.

[tanyev]

56. I saw a car in the parking lot at work today with a Jindal 2012 sticker on it.

Ew.

[Baby Snooks]

68. Double ew...

He delivered the Republican response which was the typical "two Americas" response which of course indicates the Republicans will do everything they can to preserve their America while the other America goes down the drain. He actually implied the Republicans were responsive following Hurricane Katrina while the Democrats and their "bureaucracy" were reponsible for the problems in helping people.

Never mind that many in New Orleans are still waiting for help. And many others gave up on ever returning to New Orleans.

But of course they are the other America that he and the rest of the Republicans don't believe deserve help. Their Main Street is Wall Street.

[acmavm]

24. So, this would make it put up or shut up time?

Can't wait to see the reaction.

[Orrex]

25. The media's making these GOP governors sound like selfless, principled crusaders

By refusing, for example, 1/40 of the stimulus package, they're made to seem as though they're single-handedly stemming the tide of runaway Democratic spending. And it must be noted that the money they're rejecting would directly help the economically disadvantaged.

Commendable!

[madaboutharry]

26. I completely agree with this.

It is all or nothing. Pres. Obama should implement this idea and not let the republican governors jerk him around.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. Hmmm. Does everyone really think this is good? I am thinking

their nit-picking makes them look REALLY bad. And, that their constituants
would hate them for withholding money?

You know they won't decline the entire package. So declining some calls
attention to what pricks they are.

On the other hand, if they are forced to take the whole thing
then they can always hold it against us - the provisions that didn't make
economic sense.

Many angles to this. Guess the most important - do the people get the funds
they need.

[denverbill]

36. That depends if your goal is to fix the economy or score political points.

If you want to score political points the important thing is to make the other guys look bad.

If you want to fix the economy, implement the full plan asap.

Plus, seeing as how 2 of their leading candidates for 2012 are governors (Jindal and Palin), it would be pretty hard for them to slam Obama on the stimulus when they accepted the funds, and if they don't accept them, they risk letting their states stay mired in recession while the rest of the country recovers.

[ecstatic]

61. Shumer is right to say that it destroys the integrity of the recovery plan

and in some ways might cause the overall plan not to work (and then it would be unfair to blame Obama and dems for a plan that wasn't put in place the way they intended). So it's better for them to reject the funds completely so that they can be used elsewhere to stimulate the economy in a different way.

[valerief]

29. K&R

:kick:

[No Elephants]

30. Schumer's correct. I hope Obama follows Schumer's advice.

[tishaLA]

31. Hardball. This is the kind of spine we've wanted

Who ever imagined it would come from Chuck Schumer?

[blondeatlast]

32. Very, very good and Schumer is visible. in the media. Kick those fat gray asses, Chuck! nt

[Seedersandleechers]

34. Who makes the ultimate decision

concerning the all or nothing proposal? Is it Obama?

[4lbs]

35. I am in 100% agreement with this stance. Either the governors are all-in or they fold on accepting

the recovery money.

[hisownpetard]

37. Me, too. They can't cherry pick the goodies they want and ignore the rest. The plan was

constructed to work as a whole, not in bits and pieces.
The Repukes want to grab what they can and forego the rest, hoping
that it (and Obama) will fail.
Ain't gonna happen!

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Jon Stewart had a great bit on this last night

My favorite line was "You guys know that money from Democrats can still be exchanged for goods and services, right?"

[Janice325]

39. Good on Schumer

k&r

[truebrit71]

40. Agreed. (and I don't often do that with Chuckles)...

...but on this one he is 100% right...

[Homer Wells]

41. AMEN!!!!!

K&R

[dmr]

42. Agree. One of the reasons we're in this mess is because

of the people who just make up their own rules as they see fit.

It shouldn't work that way. If more than the majority of states don't have a problem with the Stim's parameters then there really is no huge problem with the package. Meaning the states that don't like it can either take it or leave it, but not splinter it for their own benefit.

United We Stand!

[McCamy Taylor]

43. Now, we need to see the Dem PR to back this up.

[AllyCat]

44. The Repugs not only want Obama to fail, they want all of us to fail

They really do want to make sure their corporate masters get all the loot. The bumper sticker "Republicans for Voldemort" is getting more clear all the time.

[WoodyM]

45. As a citizen of South Carolina,

I certainly hope they make it an all or nothing deal. I am tired of hearing Sanford shooting off his mouth attempting to polish his image with the far right wing of the Republican Party. He is laying the groundwork for a run for the presidency. To do so he must first win the nomination. He has a year and what is left of this year and he will be out due to term limits.
I think if he wanted DeMint’s Senate seat he would have run when it was open. Sanford was governor and Demit was a member of the state legislature at the time.
If he refuses, it would be a tough lesson for the people of SC but perhaps it would help them learn that the Republicans do not give a crap about the everyday working man. Especially when someone reminds them that they will be paying for benefits that other states have, but their governor refused to accept for the people of his state.
I am sure he will accept it. He is a hypocrite as he has already has accepted such money in his term as governor.
In May 2003, just as the S. C. legislative session was ending, Bush signed a tax-cut bill that included, courtesy of the free-spending republican Congress, a $20 billion appropriation to the states. South Carolina’s share of the goodies was $265 million. The S. C. Republican authorities promptly devoted $220 million of that money to shoring up the fiscal 2004 S.C. Medicaid health care plan. Then, Sanford and legislative leadership “found” another $44 million for state aid to schools, allowing them to beef up base state aid per pupil spending for the following fiscal year from $1,701 to $1,777.
Sanford, took credit for this last minute boost to public school spending. Though they didn’t mention where the money had come from. The S. C. Education Association, with some shrewd forensic accounting, deduced that the money had come from the leftover financed federal largesse.
True, the federal red ink that made possible this timely boost to Medicaid and state school aid pales in comparison to the payment South Carolina would receive from the federal stimulus package. But it’s a difference only of degree.
If it was OK in 2003 for the state to glom onto a deficit-financed rescue for Medicaid and state school aid, why is it now not OK for the state to glom onto the S. C. portion of the federal stimulus package?
The answer, I suspect is that the Democrats now control the machinery of the federal government.
On Bush’s watch, they cheerfully incurred huge deficits while expanding the domestic side of the federal budget more than any Congress in decades.

[getthefacts]

46. Ha!!! LOVE IT!

[katty]

47. that's right GOP babies....take it or leave it!

[DebbieCDC]

48. Schumer makes good points

Let's see if it gets understood by the Slumdog Governor and his ilk.

[JohnWxy]

49. Goddamn right. They can't secede from the union just to try to keep the OBama Democratic efforts to

save the economy from working.

REcommended.

[Hulk]

50. Enforcement required!!

A great letter...but it needs muscle to make it clear to the repug "grand obstructionist party" klan.

[XanaDUer]

51. Ha-fucking-ha!

Look, it's a concept all republican poloticians should understand: when the john pays the whore, he sez what the whore has to do!

Here in GA - Gov. "Sonny" Perdue wants to pick and choose-I was so mad reading that yesterday in the AJC.

[pacalo]

52. K&R!

[90-percent]

53. cheers for me

I'm the proud owner of the 99th rec!

-90% jimmy

[Proud Liberal Dem]

54. Good move!!! Hope Obama is able to follow up on this

:fistbump:
The stimulus should either be fully implemented or not implemented at all. If some GOP governors want to "pull themselves (the citizens of their states) up by their own bootstraps", then they should be free to do so (hey, we'll just save their money for other important things). IMHO they shouldn't just be able to pick and choose what they will accept and what they won't accept, particularly if it's all about turning around and trying to blame Obama and the stimulus package for "failing" to make a difference in their states when THEY purposely fail to utilize the full amount and purpose of the money allocated for the assistance of their citizens.

Why would they not want to accept all of the money to help all of the citizens of their state anyway?

Oh right, they just don't care.

:nopity:

[happygoluckytoyou]

55. ATTENSHUN REDNEX.... don't take the liberal money... its a trap... poverty, ahh, THATS the answer !

[Pharaoh]

57. In other words...........

Fuck you! Asshats! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[ecstatic]

60. Thank God someone finally said it

The bullshit posturing was getting WAY out of hand. Take it or leave it rethugs...

[Turborama]

65. K&R and video

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to GOP Governors: "Take it or leave it!":
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x275732

:kick: & R

[MasonJar]

66. Good for Schumer! I hope the Obama administrations pays attention.

[Wabbajack_]

67. "In recent days, a small minority of governors, mostly Republicans"

Some Dem Guvs did too?

[klook]

69. Excellent news for those living within

the bellies of the beasts -- the Republican-controlled states where it's so hard for poor working people to get an even break.

[Muttocracy]

70. Thanks Senator Schumer! nt

[watrwefitinfor]

71. This South Carolinian says:

Well played, Senator!

About time somebody called this clown Sanford out.

He says he doesn't want to accept money for the unemployed that will require SC to raise taxes in the future. WTF? The unemployment fund has already run out and he, after much posturing, already borrowed millions from the feds to cover the shortage short term. Now that fund is broke again. But instead of fixing anything he is splitting his time between showing his ass on television, and trying to fire the three members of the State Unemployment Commission, when he's not threatening to sue them. (If you think he's a joke on national tv, you should see him performing for local news.)

If there will be committments required in accepting the unemployment funds - if SC will have to change our tune and our laws and pay unemployment to part time workers - well, isn't it about time we joined the rest of the states?

Or will SC, as usual, be happy to remain in the bottom few states of any worthwhile measure, and the top few of everything horrid? While our people go hungry.

And believe me, it ain't the hungry ones who voted for Sanford!

Wat

[Cha]

73. Good on Schumer...

Whiney govs don't get to pick and choose.