Grading Our Governors: Committee to Unleash Prosperity and FreedomWorks Release Report Card On Reopening States' Economies

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Committee to Unleash Prosperity along with FreedomWorks today released a response scorecard on how the nation's governors are handling the reopening of their state's economies to business and recreational activities.

The report grades the nation's governors on how they have and are continuing to respond to the coronavirus. Taking into account the severity of the virus in each state and the need to keep their citizens safe and healthy, the report assesses how measured or damaging their actions have been with respect to safeguarding the economic well-being of their citizens. It examines lockdown orders, business closures, hospital and outdoor activity orders, and the degree of punitive actions on enforcing these measures. Most importantly, the report measures the start dates for reopening in each state as the evidence is very strong that states with late start dates will have much more severe recessions than states that open earlier.

"With a few exceptions in some metropolitan areas, and in accordance with guidelines from health professionals, the time is long past for every state to reopen safely, smartly, and judiciously so as to end the economic destruction and despair from lockdowns. Millions more Americans will be pushed into unemployment lines, plunged into poverty, and lose their businesses, forever," said Steve Moore, President of Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

The report demonstrates the economic and cultural devastation that will set in if governors don't take action: "State revenue losses will be severe and continued shutdowns will require dramatic cutbacks in state and local services for lack of money. Even from a public health standpoint, the very negative effects from job loss, poverty, business failure, and so on are causing social pathologies to soar – suicides, depression, stress, heart attack, spousal and child abuse cases, drug overdoses, alcohol abuse, financial ruin, and deprivation." Among the governors who received high marks for protecting their economies from devastation include Jared Polis of Colorado (A), a Democrat, joined by Republicans Ron DeSantis of Florida (A), Brian Kemp of Georgia (A), Pete Ricketts of Nebraska (A), Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma (A), Kristi Noem of South Dakota (A), Bill Lee of Tennessee (A), Greg Abbott of Texas (B), and Mark Gordon of Wyoming (A). 

The governors who received lower grades for putting their states in the most economic peril are Phil Murphy of New Jersey (F), Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania (F), Ralph Northam of Virginia (F), and Tony Evers of Wisconsin (F). California Governor Gavin Newsom of California (D), and Andrew Cuomo of New York (C). The worst performing Republican governor was Larry Hogan of Maryland (D). 

A full copy of the report, including an analysis of each governor's plans to reopen their state, can be found here. 

About Committee to Unleash Prosperity

Art Laffer is the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates and former member of President Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board.

Stephen Moore is the president of Committee to Unleash Prosperity and served as a senior economic advisor to Donald Trump in 2016.

Steve Forbes is the chairman & Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Media.

SOURCE Committee to Unleash Prosperity