Mitch McConnell's Kentucky has been getting federal bailout money for years.

[left-of-center2012]

There are times when numbers tell a story just by themselves. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s claim that it would be a “Blue State Bailout” for the federal government to help places like New York and New Jersey cope with the financial consequences of covid-19 is one of those times.

President Trump echoed McConnell’s (R-Ky.) claims in a tweet Monday, asking why what he called “poorly run” Democratic-led states should be seeking bailout relief. “Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help?” Trump wrote.

In fact, however, if you look at the numbers from the Rockefeller Institute of Government, which tracks how much money each state sends to Washington and how much it gets back, you can see that McConnell’s home state of Kentucky gets a “Bluegrass State Bailout” of tens of billions of dollars every year.

For the four federal fiscal years that ended Sept. 30, 2018, the most recent numbers available, Kentucky got $148 billion more from the federal government than the Bluegrass State sent to Washington. Meanwhile, New Jersey got $71.7 billion less than it sent, and New York got $116.2 billion less.

The Rockefeller Institute people, who are polite, call states like Kentucky “getters” and states like New Jersey and New York “givers.” I’m somewhat less polite, and I call the likes of Kentucky “moocher states” and the likes of New Jersey and New York “sucker states,” a term that I got from Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Kentucky is the biggest moocher state in the country.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/27/mitch-mcconnells-kentucky-has-been-getting-federal-bailout-money-years-thats-reality/

[totodeinhere]

1. Usually the more powerful senators can funnel more federal funds to their states.

There is a long history of that. And as Senate majority leader you can't get much more powerful than Moscow Mitch. And the problem is that many of his constituents know this and that's why I think he is a favorite for reelection because the voters in his state will want the gravy train to continue.