Flip-Flopper

[prole]

 

Putting his constituents before his ideological beliefs. Disgusting.

 

S.C. Governor Accepts Stimulus Funds, but With Caveats

Republican Mark Sanford Has Been One of the Most Outspoken Critics of Obama's Plan

 

By Philip Rucker

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, April 3, 2009; 1:29 PM

 

South Carolina's Republican governor will break his political logjam with the White House over stimulus funds today, his aides said, becoming the last governor in the nation to officially seek billions of dollars in federal economic recovery funds.

 

Gov. Mark Sanford will announce at a 1 p.m. news conference that he will comply with today's critical deadline for governors to claim the money allocated by Congress and President Obama in the $787 billion stimulus bill, Sanford's spokesman Joel Sawyer said. South Carolina, whose 11 percent unemployment rate is the nation's highest outside of Michigan, is poised to receive about $8 billion in recovery funds.

 

Sanford -- who harbors national political ambitions and has been one of the most outspoken critics of Obama's recovery plan -- said last month that he would not seek certification because he did not believe the nation should go into debt to fund such stimulus efforts.

 

Despite his reversal, Sanford will not draw down $700 million in stabilization funds for education and law enforcement until he reaches a deal with South Carolina's GOP-controlled legislature to help pay off the state government's debt, Sawyer said.

 

Sanford's move to meet tonight's deadline comes after weeks of battling with leaders in Washington and Columbia over spending the stimulus money. Twice, the Obama administration rejected Sanford's requests to use the $700 million on debt repayments, saying the money must be spent on public safety and schools.

 

In South Carolina, lawmakers, teachers, union leaders and law enforcement officials have called on Sanford to accept the recovery money. Reggie Lloyd, the state's law enforcement division director and a member of Sanford's Cabinet, publicly rebuked his boss yesterday, warning of "devastating" consequences for state and local law enforcement agencies.

 

"I've thought long and hard about it; it's not personal," Lloyd told the State newspaper. "My professional career has been devoted to . . . public safety, and I'm not going to sacrifice that for anybody. This means more to me than this job does."

 

State schools chief Jim Rex told the Associated Press yesterday, "What kind of message do we send to the rest of nation, not to mention to our own kids, if South Carolina becomes the only state to refuse funds aimed at helping public schools?"

 

Frank Morgan, the schools superintendent in rural Kershaw County, likened Sanford's proposal to spend stimulus money to pay down debt to "trying to pay off your mortgage while your kids are starving." -- Washington Post 4/3/09