Gov. Mark Sanford told lawmakers Tuesday that he will reject $700 million in federal stimulus money unless President Obama grants the state permission to use the money to pay down debt.
State lawmakers, who are planning the state’s $6 billion budget around spending stimulus cash to shore up health care and education, said they will go around the governor to request the money. The S.C. House speaker characterized the governor’s opposition to the stimulus money as disingenuous.
In a letter to lawmakers, Sanford said it was important that the state not increase future budget deficits by using federal money to patch the budget over the next two years.
“Once that money runs out,” Sanford said, “South Carolina will be in a deeper hole than if it chose to deal with budget deficits now.”
Sanford has planned a series of stops across the state today to announce his decision.
“In the unfortunate case that the president would deny our request,” Sanford wrote, “I will not seek the funds, as I believe doing so would not help our current economic problems and would do real harm to our future financial picture.”
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