Pearce: ‘There Was No Deal Cut’

But it was Sen. Russell Pearce’s talk of refusing millions in federal funds to pay for the AHCCCS program that provides health care for a million folks in Arizona that rightfully drew the ire of MSNBC’s Ed Schultz:

Can you blame him? Read that part of Pearce’s interview with Brahm Resnick after the jump. Yes, we live in crazytown.

RESNIK: Let’s turn to the budget now. You told Howard Fischer of Capitol News Services last week you are prepared to let the feds keep billions of dollars they provide for the state access program. You said, quote, “If we’re saving (state) money the fact that we lose some federal money means nothing. … Church, community, families got to provide.” So are you saying that you’re willing to let the 1 million people who get health care from the state through access just fend for themselves?

PEARCE: What I’m saying is you sometimes can’t afford to take the federal money —

RESNIK: Are you saying —

PEARCE: Things need to be put in context. Hang on. It’s like going to Dillard’s, you don’t have any money, but it’s a great sale. So I’m gonna buy it, but I have no money. The federal money comes with strings. One of the great challenges we have this session will be to work around some of the stimulus money we took to tie our hands. […]

RESNIK: So you are willing to say no to those billions of dollars?

PEARCE: I don’t think we’ll take the money. […]

RESNIK: And the one million people on access, what’s their future?

PEARCE: They’ll probably be okay.

RESNIK: Okay, how?

PEARCE: […] It’s time to cut the fat and trim government.

This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.