Florida Gov. Rick Scott appeared with Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy today on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley, talking about budget cuts, tax cuts and more. Here's an exchange, courtesy of CNN, on federal high-speed rail money that Scott has turned down for Florida:
CROWLEY: And, Governor Scott, let me just ask you, you have turned down $2.4 billion from the federal government to build high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa. You have been given another week to think about it. Is there any chance in you know where that you would accept that money even if it went to local governments rather than the state?
SCOTT: What I have said all along is our taxpayers aren't going to take the risk of the cost overrun in building it. It could be $3 billion, the operating costs. We already have a train that goes from Palm Beach to Miami. Only one-sixth of the cost of operation is covered by the fares. On top of that...
CROWLEY: No way no how?
SCOTT: Pardon?
CROWLEY: No way no how you are going to take that money.
SCOTT: I haven't seen how they can do it.
MALLOY: But I'll take some -- I'll take some of that money...
CROWLEY: You'll take some of his...
MALLOY: ... and we'll spend it on Metro North and New Haven to Hartford.
CROWLEY: But I guess that's up to you guys.
SCOTT: I want the money for our ports. I mean, look at -- we have got the Panama Canal expansion, we've got the expansion of the economies to Central and South America, put that money into the Florida ports. That's where we want that money spent.
-- Amy Hollyfield
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