S.C. Dems ask Sanford to act quickly on budget, economic recovery funds

Columbia, S.C. – The S.C. House voted overwhelming Tuesday to pass a budget that requires Gov. Mark Sanford to request the rest of the federal economic recovery funds that are due to help South Carolina's public schools and other needs. Because the House budget matches one passed last week by the S.C. Senate, the budget bill goes directly to Sanford. The governor has five days to sign the bill, veto it or do nothing, in which case it will become law after the five days pass.

"Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate have spoken in one voice: 'Governor, take the money,'" said Carol Fowler, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party.

"South Carolina Democrats call on Mark Sanford to act quickly," Fowler said. "Governor Sanford has spent most of this year arranging media events to advertise his opposition to President Obama's recovery plan. The governor has been ignoring the best interests of South Carolinians by trying to turn down $750 million of those funds due to South Carolina over the next two years. Surely, it won't take him five days to make a decision on this issue."

"Governor Sanford has been wasting both our time and our money. The only benefit of his dawdling has been to allow him to use the governor's office to build a national constituency among hard-core conservatives, especially those opposed to our public schools. This might help Sanford win a Republican presidential primary, but it would be at the expense of South Carolinians and their school children."