Pawlenty: Federal Gov't is "Basically a Drug Dealer"
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Thursday likened the federal government to a drug dealer while defending his decision to refuse federal aid for health care in his state.
"Instead of all just running around saying, 'We'll take the money because it's free money,' let's call it what it is: The federal government is basically a drug dealer trying to give out free samples, or give people a taste, get them further addicted," Pawlenty said on Fox News' "Your World With Neil Cavuto."
The likely 2012 GOP presidential hopeful was explaining his decision to issue an executive order this week directing Minnesota state agencies to turn down discretionary funding from President Obama's health care reforms.
"I think we just say: 'No, thanks, we've had enough,' and get your own house in order, by the way, at the same time," Pawlenty said on Fox.
In addition to ordering agencies to reject most "discretionary" funding, Pawlenty turned down funding offered in the health care bill for an early expansion of Medicaid. Earlier, he rejected an $850,000 grant for sex education. However, Pawlenty did accept $500,000 in federal aid for funding controversial abstinence-only programming. He also said Tuesday he would "likely" accept $263 million in federal aid for Medicaid offered through the $26 billion aid package Democrats recently passed because "it's not Obamacare."
Republicans have decried federal spending under the Obama administration, and polling suggests Americans aren't buying the administration's arguments for costly programs like its stimulus package.
Yet many states have relied on federal aid since the recession spurred a sharp decline in state revenue, the Washington Post reported earlier this year.
Going into the fiscal year that started in July, the states had a combined deficit of $89 billion, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Every state but Vermont is required to balance its budget, meaning that without federal aid, they must resort to raising taxes or cutting programs and employees.
Pawlenty's agressive move against the health care bill was widely seen as an effort to position himself as a strong opponant of the bill, which is expected to be a focal point in the 2012 Republican presidential primary.