Rick Scott wants to know where COVID-19 stimulus trillions went
Rick Scott. Image via AP.

Rick Scott
Scott wrote OMB Friday with a series of questions.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott Is demanding answers from the federal Office of Management and Budget about where stimulus dollars went.

Scott wrote Friday to Acting OMB Director Shalanda Young about what he said was intended as “targeted relief,” noting months of inquiry led to no real answers.

“I’ve requested transparency from OMB on how the trillions allocated for COVID relief has been allocated to no avail, but taxpayers deserve accountability,” Scott chided Young.

The Senator pressed for answers about metrics, about how much money remains unallocated, and urged disclosure.

“What plans does OMB have to make this information public and regularly updated?”

The Florida Republican also spotlighted “improper payments,” highlighting an increase in such spends during the Donald Trump administration: “In fiscal year 2020, estimates of improper payments totaled $206 billion, up from $175 billion in fiscal year 2019, which means billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted and providing zero return to American families.”

In closing, Scott noted the generational impact of unaccounted spend: “We cannot afford to mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren with shortsighted and dangerous financial decisions.”

Particularly after Trump left the White House, Scott’s warnings about unsustainable relief spending grew dire. He urged governors of states to send COVID-19 relief funds back to Washington.

Scott, who was Florida Governor through 2018, expressed hope “that every Mayor, every Governor says ‘money I don’t need, I’m going to give it back to the federal government.’”

Florida’s Governor dismissed that idea of course.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Scott has messaged heavily about federal spending, going on record with objections to stimulus legislation.

“Biden’s ‘American Rescue Plan Act’ is full of wasteful spending that has nothing to do with the crisis,” the Senator wrote the previous OMB head in March.

Scott’s current messaging is yoked to his opposition to raising the debt limit under the current administration. This is something that the White House has said wasn’t the case when Trump was President.

The Senator has struggled with explaining that away.

He was asked about his support of raising the threshold during the Trump administration on an episode of “Fox News Sunday earlier this year, when he was again messaging against Biden on debt.

He dodged giving a response, talking instead about his time governing Florida.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


13 comments

  • Palmer Tom

    September 24, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    We still want to know why he isn’t in jail

    • Alex

      September 24, 2021 at 6:28 pm

      This ^

    • TJC

      September 25, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Because he slipped and slimed his way out of responsibility for the crimes of the company of which he was CEO, the same company that gave him a generous retirement bonus to keep his mouth shut. Then he used that money to bamboozle Floridians to make him governor, which in turn made them think he was ready to be a U.S. Senator, when in fact he should be finishing up about a ten year stint in federal prison.

      • Alex

        September 25, 2021 at 1:41 pm

        Bat boy is clearly angling for a Presidential run, but DeAnus has upstaged him with the far right loon vote.

        Now he’s making Trump-like insane claims and attacks to polish his alt-reality creds.

    • Chip

      September 27, 2021 at 7:25 am

      Because he has the complexion, for the protection

  • Frankie M.

    September 24, 2021 at 9:56 pm

    So then he’ll be demanding accountability for the millions he stole from the taxpayers in medicare benefits…right?

  • David Anderson

    September 25, 2021 at 11:49 am

    Looks like Voldemort wants to make sure No hungry kids got even an extra crumb of food. typical repulican. Dont worry Rick…..were all still poor and miserable so you can keep pleasing yourself while watching the poor suffer

    • TJC

      September 25, 2021 at 1:25 pm

      You could use Rodney Dangerfield’s line for Rick Scott: “He really cares…about what, I don’t know.”

  • Glenn Reihing

    September 25, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    PSA: This man is a well-known, corrupt politician.
    But I do believe he is right and we should use metrics to make sure we get the biggest bang for the buck. But this is a double-edged sword because currently there is huge wealth inequality.

    Then once we get that established, my advice is to go after the percent that made 4 trillion dollars in one year. Also, go after tax havens.THAT is where you will get your revenue.

  • Scott is corrupt as they come

    September 27, 2021 at 8:45 am

    Scott

  • Angry Granny

    September 27, 2021 at 8:55 am

    This is spitting in the faces of hard working, uneducated folks. They don’t know any better and just want to feel like they are apart of something but truly don’t understand what is happening underneath that wolfs head. It’s a shame that we have allowed this propaganda of the southern community to go in so blazingly unchecked for so long now. Trump is truly just the beginning of how they are to learn how to swindle the American people of the south. The southern heritage of hard work, family and tradition has been tainted. The long term effects of this is deadly. We have witnessed this fact with covid, and how misinformed, misguided and manipulative actions of one false leader can harm and kill so many innocent. A lot of self righteousness in the south and that fact alone has allowed for these things to pass. To truly know of Jesus and through hum know His father, the south can stand on principle and hard work. Not in their own agendas. God knows all and the end says there will be threats of war and threats of use of nuclear weapons, trump had his thumb ready. They all need to be aware of this and stop mocking those of us who walk enough in the spirit to see he corrupted as they really are and not what we want to see just to be included’ in a group of uninformed self righteous self proclaimed southern Christian groups that have nothing to really do with God.

  • Chicken Momma

    September 27, 2021 at 9:14 am

    Well said Angry Granny, well said!! Amen to that!!

  • Mr Right

    September 29, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    Its still a good question. So much waste and corruption in these trillion dollar bills. The piglets in washington cannot get enough free money.

    If the debasement of the dollar is what they want, and the end to the dollar as the worlds reserve currency… Keep it up.

Comments are closed.


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