Governor of Vermont, Phil Scott

Chris EdwardsThe top grade in Cato ’s governorsreport this year went to Republican Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. He is a solid fiscal conservative and was just re‐​elected by a 65 to 33 percent margin, even though the state went to Joe Biden over Donald Trump 53 to 46. New Hampshire is a unique state in the region, with smaller government andmore freedom than its neighbors.Next door, Vermont seems quite different. It is the land of Bernie Sanders. It has higher taxes, larger government, andless freedom. Yet Vermont is headed by a  Republican governor who favors restrained budgets, low taxes, and leans moderate or libertarian on social policy.Phil Scott was just re ‐​elected governor of Vermont by an impressive 69 to 28 percent margin, even though the state went for Biden over Trump 66 to 31.Scott came to the governor ’s office after serving as a state senator and Vermont’s lieutenant governor. He is a former small business owner and anactive race car driver.  The governor has battled the state ’s Democratic legislature over tax and spending restraint, and he does not hesitate to veto big‐​government bills. For example, Scott has vetoed property tax increases to fund schools, proposing instead to save money by cutting school bureaucracy. General fund spending rose at an annual avera ge rate of just 2.4 percent between 2017 and 2020, and Scott has focused on trimming fat from state agencies.In 2018, the governor signed a  bill to conform to federa...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs