South Dakota state government can be generous when it wants to… and when it has extra federal money to spend. Thanks to Congress’s ignoring Donald Trump’s budget hackery, South Dakota got an extra $1.3 million from Uncle Sam to provide additional subsidies for child care.
According to Bob Mercer, this additional federal cash will allow the Department of Social Services to add 144 households to the 2,000 already receiving help in paying for child care. With this budget boost, DSS can raise the eligibility threshold from 175% of the federal poverty level to 209%. It will also end copays for recipients making between 150% and 160% of the poverty level and reduce copays for folks above that income level.
Federal largesse also supported more state skinflintery in this year’s budget. Senate Bill 180, this year’s budget adjustment, lowered the state’s FY2019 expenditures for children’s services by $1.36 million while raising the federal chip-in by $7.51 million. Senate Bill 191, he FY2020 midnight budget, allocates $2.35 million more in state dollars and $5.67 million more in federal dollars to children’s services than the original FY2019 budget.
South Dakota does love children… but it counts on the federal government to love children even more.
SD sits on a nice pile of surplus money. Why should the rest of USA pay your way? There are states that need money more than you. What’s worse is the self-indulgent smirk Republicans sport when they think they’re “getting over” on the states who send them money. Of course, those states are made up of compassionate, empathetic Democrats.
The Shame Nun See’s You SD …
https://youtu.be/SrDSqODtEFM
What public services does the state NOT rely on federal money for? Really. What public services does SD pay for entirely out of it’s own budget on the state level? What does SD pay 90% of? 75%? Half?