Gov. Sanford's War Against Federal Spending

Friday, May 22, 2009 11:13 AM by Mattie Duppler

An interesting battle over “stimulus” money is being waged in South Carolina. Governor Mark Sanford has been an outspoken critic of the massive federal spending plan and has pledged not to take the $700 million that was offered to his state, arguing that the money should be used to decrease the state’s debt rather than to expand government programs. The governor is one of a handful across the country who have refused stimulus money for programs their states cannot afford once the federal funds run dry. In response, the legislature passed a budget that included stimulus money, hoping to force the governor to accept the funds. Tuesday, the Governor vetoed most of the budget, sending it back to Congress to either rework the legislation or to override his veto.

Yesterday, the governor launched a new offensive by suing the state Attorney General, the officer who would be responsible for enforcing a budget that contained stimulus money. Sanford contends that the legislature overstepped their authority by trying to force the governor to take the federal funds, application for which the White House has asserted only the governor can make. 

The state Supreme Court rejected a case brought earlier this month by a South Carolina teenager who asked the court to allow the legislature to accept the funds, concluding that her case did not have standing until the legislature actually made a move to spend the federal money. We applaud the Governor’s efforts to triumph fiscal responsibility, and will be watching as this interesting case continues to unfold.

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