Florida senator sends bizarre letter to 6 governors telling them how to do their jobs

On his official Twitter biography, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) claims that he is dedicated to “Fighting for Florida families and to Make Washington Work.” But in recent days, he has taken a break from that work to tell six other states’ governors how to do their jobs.

Under Donald Trump, the nation’s annual budget deficit has grown to about $1 trillion and the national debt has passed $22.8 trillion. A large factor in this increase was Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which predominantly benefited the rich and corporations — a measure Scott backed even though it was projected to add more than $1,000,000,000,000 to the debt.

Rather than criticizing Trump or his party for those cuts or preventing billions from being spent on Trump’s long-promised border wall, Scott has been silent.

Instead, he is focused on the budgets of six states which he does not represent.

In letters sent Thursday to the governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, Scott wrote, “I am concerned for the financial wellbeing of your state and the burgeoning share the taxpayers of [your state] would have to contribute to pay down your debts.”

Scott then boasted about Florida’s economic successes over his eight years as governor and tried to claim that he was now acting to bring the federal budget to balance as well.

“Our national debt is also a serious and growing problem, but unlike many of my colleagues in Washington, I have not lost the fiscally responsible principles that helped turn Florida around,” he declared.

Scott said he had “recently voted against the Senate’s massive two-year budget proposal because it fails to rein in Washington’s spending spree, and adds trillions of dollars to our national debt.”

“Additionally, I have partnered with the Heritage Foundation to create my ‘Washington Waste Wednesdays’ series, highlighting the numerous ways that Washington is recklessly spending Americans’ tax dollars,” he added.

The letters were addressed to five Democratic governors and Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA).

Scott posted a press release about the letters on Friday, on his official Senate website. He re-tweeted the link after a Florida political site reported on the letters Monday.

As a 2018 senate candidate, then-Gov. Scott complained that Washington lawmakers should spend more time focusing on their jobs. “The gridlocks we see every day in Washington show that Congress clearly doesn’t give themselves enough time to get anything done,” he wrote on his campaign website.

“As a result, Congress often fails to secure results for the Americans they serve, and frequently rushes to complete its most basic legislative work, even by voting on bills without reading them. Governor Scott will work to require Congress to put in full-time work for a full-time salary, just like hard working Americans across the country.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.