Fox Business Host Doubles Down on Hitting DeSantis For $450 Inflation Relief Checks: ‘Stop Spending’

Dagen McDowell refused to back down on Monday after one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R-FL) spokespeople attempted to call her out for comments she made on Fox Business Network over Florida giving out $450-per-child inflation relief checks.

“Actually that’s worse than pandering, you’re just handing out money to people,” said McDowell on Monday while guest-hosting Maria Bartiromo’s Mornings with Maria.

McDowell slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for sending $450-per-child checks to some families to offset the costs of inflation, accusing him of “pandering.” She even went as far as to compare DeSantis to California’s Democratic governor, calling the relief checks “a level of moronacy that you see out of [California Governor] Gavin Newsom. We’re going to fight inflation by fueling inflation with stimulus checks.”

DeSantis’s Deputy Press Secretary Bryan Griffin hit back online, writing:

McDowell is wrong about Florida’s foster care family aid:
1) the payments were specifically for foster care families
2) the $$ was repurposed federal dollars that would have to be utilized or lost to Biden (wasted)
3) states don’t cause inflation – the fed printing $$ did

McDowell, however, was unimpressed and doubled down on her original comments. “Stimulus checks. Extra welfare. Targeted relief. Call it what you will. Handing out more money when inflation is running at a 40-year high is bad economic policy,” she wrote in response.

Stimulus checks. Extra welfare. Targeted relief. Call it what you will. Handing out more money when inflation is running at a 40-year high is bad economic policy. And the idea that Republicans are somehow better at spending taxpayer money than Democrats? Laughable. Stop spending. https://t.co/no48X8LaQG

— Dagen McDowell (@dagenmcdowell) July 25, 2022

“And the idea that Republicans are somehow better at spending taxpayer money than Democrats? Laughable. Stop spending,” McDowell concluded.

Griffin responded, “Once the $$ is printed and sent to the states, the inflationary damage has been dealt. What then does a responsible state do? Liberal states with poor finances used the money to fill budget gaps and deficits. FL has a surplus. It would never get ‘unprinted’ so it was repurposed.”

Once the $$ is printed and sent to the states, the inflationary damage has been dealt. What then does a responsible state do? Liberal states with poor finances used the money to fill budget gaps and deficits. FL has a surplus. It would never get “unprinted” so it was repurposed. https://t.co/zWh9rd8p47

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) July 25, 2022

The government prints money all the time and keeps large amounts of it in reserve without it entering the market and impacting inflation or interest rates.

Eighteen other states are offering some kind of financial relief for inflation, including some giving direct payments to eligible taxpayers and others lower gas and grocery taxes.