Toomey, Dems Joust Over FMAP

Pennsylvania Democrats are chastising Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey for opposing a federal aid bill (FMAP) sending 600 million dollars to the commonwealth.
But Toomey’s campaign is defending his position.
Governor Ed Rendell warned of 12-thousand public employee layoffs if the federal medical assistance extension didn’t pass.
The bill has cleared the Senate, and is in front of the House, but Toomey calls the measure irresponsible and wasteful.
Democratic Party Chair Jim Burn says Toomey doesn’t care about the public jobs that would have been cut, had the bill stalled.

"This is an indication, or a barometer, of what Mr. Toomey would be like if he were in the Senate. His voting and his decision making would have draconian results on the men and women of the commonwealth. It shows a disconnect."

Toomey’s campaign manager, Mark Harris, says the bill will add to the deficit. Harris links the measure to recent bailouts of Wall Street and the auto industry.
He says Toomey opposes the federal government spending money to close states’ and companies’ deficits, after they make what he labels bad decisions.

"Pat Toomey’s position is that we need fiscal responsibility. In Washington that means paying – making sure we’re not spending more money than we’re bringing in, just like any family would. I think that has been the impetus of this campaign. We can’t pass this debt on to our children."

Democratic leaders label the Senate bill as budget neutral, since it closes tax loopholes and lays the groundwork for a scaling back of federal food stamps.
But Harris calls that a “budget slight of hand,” and says Washington can’t keep writing checks to fill states’ deficits.