Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give low-income families $450 each from COVID relief funds to “offset the cost of inflation.”
- The DeSantis administration blamed the Biden administration for spiraling inflation
- Just in time for the new school year, she sends $450 checks to needy families
- DeSantis is running for re-election and is also seeking a presidential nomination in 2024
- In a letter to the families, he said the checks could be used for anything
Checks for $450 are being given to tens of thousands of Florida families to help them deal with inflation, which surfaced Friday after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration announced it would use federal COVID relief funds to help pay program.
Around 59,000 families should benefit from this in time for the new school year.
“To help offset the cost of rising inflation, especially as a new school year approaches, the state of Florida is giving you $450 for each child in your care,” said a letter from DeSantis that accompanies the checks.
“This one-time payment can be used for everything from buying diapers to getting gas at the pump.”
Florida has made it clear that it blames the Biden administration’s economic mismanagement for the rising costs.
And it’s the latest example of how DeSantis — who is running for re-election this way in Florida — has managed to insert himself into the national debate as he eyes a possible presidential nomination in 2024.
The money is part of a program called Hope Florida, which is being awarded by the state’s first lady, Casey DeSantis.
Her office recently announced that the checks would cost about $35 million, which will be deducted from the $1 billion the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending $450 checks to low-income families to help them deal with the “costs of rising inflation” as he eyes the 2024 presidential bid
Checks come with a letter signed by DeSantis stating they can spend the money on anything
Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife, revealed the program at a recent appearance
“This one-time payment will help families affected by rising inflation as they prepare to send their children back to school,” said Laura Walthall of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Officials say families don’t have to apply for the payments and they should arrive automatically in the mail.
It comes after inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1 percent last month, sending interest rates higher and stoking recession fears.
The DeSantis administration has made it clear who it believes is responsible for the rising costs
“Inflation is being caused by the federal government’s money printing and deficit spending, which has been happening at a record pace since COVID,” Christine Pushaw, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, wrote on Twitter.
“Unlike our indebted federal government, the state of Florida has a budget surplus due to good management by @GovRonDeSantis. The money belongs to the Floridians.”
DeSantis’ stance on a number of culture war issues has led to him becoming a Democrat target.
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris targeted “so-called leaders” in Florida and neighboring Republican-run states for their stance on gun control, voter security laws and abortion rights.
Inflation hit a 40-year high last month at 9.1 percent
Without naming the Sunshine State’s Republican governor, Harris implicitly criticized DeSantis in a speech on his own Orlando lawn.
The vice president had spoken at the national convention of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first intercollegiate African American sorority that Harris had been a part of as a Howard University student.
“As always, there are forces standing in our way. Forces that oppose … even the common sense gun safety proposals,” Harris said.
“Forces that include extremist so-called leaders who, instead of expanding rights, are working to limit rights.”
And California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reignited his presidential rumors with a $105,000 ad buy on Fox News that hit DeSantis.
“I urge all of you who live in Florida to join the fight — or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom,” Newsom said in the July 4 ad, which reads like a political campaign spot feels like.