Newsom Uses First Responders as Hostages To Make Sure He Gets Federal COVID Aid
California Gov. Gavin Newsom peddled fear that first responders in his state might lose their jobs as he demands a federal handout amid a critical budget deficit.
Newsom appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on May 17 to discuss California’s $54 billion deficit for the year and demanded that Senate Republicans approve footing the bill for California’s financial woes as the state remains largely closed.
“It’s not charity,” Newsom said of a bailout to CNN’s Jake Tapper.
The California Democrat blamed his state’s financial hardship on the coronavirus and the coronavirus alone, saying the state was “running a $21.5 billion surplus” in 2019.
Tapper then mentioned the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by Democrats in the House, which would offer state governments direct financial relief, among an array of liberal wish list items.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the legislation as “dead on arrival” in the Senate, according to The Hill, and rightfully so.
The legislation would also institute state vote-by-mail provisions, Politico reported.
Naturally, Tapper left that out of the conversation when invoking the Democratic pipe dream legislation.
Newsom, though, continued to advocate for funds from the HEROES Act or other legislation that would bankroll California as it remains mostly shuttered.
He claimed that without a bailout, municipalities in California would be forced to reduce the presence of police officers and firefighters in a state that is freeing violent criminals at an alarming rate and has plans to free more.
“I hope [Republicans in the Senate will] consider this: The next time they want to salute and celebrate our heroes — our first responders, our police officers and firefighters — consider the fact that they are the first ones that will be laid off by cities and counties,” Newsom said.
“The folks that are out there, the true heroes of this pandemic, our healthcare workers and nurses, those county health systems have been ravaged, their budgets have been devastated and depleted,” he said in a plea for nationwide bailouts for governments.
CA Gov. @GavinNewsom says his state’s budget deficit is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic and federal funding should not be looked at as charity, “when it’s fundamental purpose of government is to protect people’s safety and to protect their well-being.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/9XpDngudxV
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 17, 2020
But as for California’s first responders, Newsom stated clearly: “They’re the first ones to be laid off.”
“I’m not looking to score cheap political points, but I do want to make this point,” he said. “We have an obligation, a moral and ethical obligation to American citizens all across this country, to help support cities, states and counties.”
Tapper, for his part, did mention California’s $1 trillion pension liability, but Newsom downplayed the debt as he portrayed the Golden State’s money problems as being created by something completely beyond the control of lawmakers.
But California, which is one of the highest-taxed and most highly regulated states in the nation, has ample funds which are partially being directed to non-citizens.
The $125 million in cash that Newsom has committed to paying illegal immigrants amid the economic crisis could go a long way toward paying the salaries of first responders, but that would be too reasonable for a state that puts its leftist politics above all else.
Then again, this is about politics and not policy. California has vast natural and economic resources that are nearly unparalleled in the country and the world, and yet the state remains an overregulated mess and its leaders are forcing citizens to remain out of work.
California could simply open up for business faster as other states have done, which would allow people to get back to earning a living and lawmakers such as Newsom to continue to tax the shirts off their backs.
California’s cities and counties could also easily avoid laying off its most essential workers if they simply cut out wasteful spending and prioritized its citizens over its vast population of illegal immigrants.
The Washington Examiner reported that in 2017 alone, California spent $23 billion on illegal immigrants.
But California, which has become a haven for crime and criminals, wants a bailout from the federal government, and Newsom is ready to hold true public servants hostage and blame Republicans for it.
California Democrats move the state further to the left every year and now they’re demanding the rest of the country pay for their social experiments.
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