As we begin the noble quest to fill out the Hypocrimap of GOP stimulus-lovers, I must point out an important caveat.
The economic recovery law includes a “waiver” to ensure that states receive their share of the measure’s $54 billion in federal money for education. But when you see Republicans clamoring for their state to get that waiver authority, it’s not a simple case of GOPers hypocritically scrambling for cash they voted against — despite a report from Politico suggesting as much.
The stimulus restricts access to the $54 billion pot to those states that have maintained education budgets at or above 2006 levels. The “waiver” provision was added at the urging of states that wanted to get help from Washington while keeping their education budgets stunningly low. In several cases, as Dana Goldstein observes, the states in question could have boosted their schools budgets through targeted tax hikes, but chose not to.
In order to secure the “waiver” for stimulus cash, state lawmakers — both Republican and Democratic — have to request it from the Obama administration. So when you see Florida GOPers joining the push for a state waiver, it’s merely pragmatic support for maintaining low schools budgets during lean years. The other states aiming for education waivers are Nevada and California.
