Gop Governors Press Congress to Pass Stimulus Bill
The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, planned to meet in Washington this weekend with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other senators to press for her states share of the package.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked the phones last week with members of his states congressional delegation, including House Republicans. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, the Republican vice chairman of the National Governors Association, planned to be in Washington on Monday to urge the Senate to approve the plan.
“As the executive of a state experiencing budget challenges, Gov. Douglas has a different perspective on the situation than congressional Republicans,” said Douglas deputy chief of staff, Dennise Casey.
Not a single Republican voted with the majority last week when the House approved Obamas $819 billion combination of tax cuts and new spending. The presidents goal is to create or preserve 3 million to 4 million jobs.
Republicans led by House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio complained that the plan is laden with pet projects and will not yield the jobs or stimulate the economy in the way Obama has promised.
The measure faces GOP opposition in the Senate, where it will be up for a vote in the week ahead.
But states are coping with severe budget shortfalls and mounting costs for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. So governors, including most Republicans, are counting on the spending to help keep their states afloat.
This past week the bipartisan National Governors Association called on Congress to quickly pass the plan.
“States are facing fiscal conditions not seen since the Great Depression – anticipated budget shortfalls are expected in excess of $200 billion,” the NGA statement said. “Governors … support several key elements of the bill critical to states-increased federal support for Medicaid and K-12 and higher education; investment in the nations infrastructure; and tax provisions to spur investment.”
Clyde Frazier, a professor of political science at Meredith College in North Carolina, said it wasnt politically inconsistent for Republican governors and members of Congress to part ways on the stimulus plan.
“For governors, its free money – they get the benefits and they dont have to pay the costs of raising the revenues,” Frazier said. “Senators and representatives get only some credit for the expenditures, and they have to pay the bill.”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a former member of the House, said he would accept the stimulus money but would have voted against the bill if he were still in Congress. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said he wasnt sure whether he would accept the approximately $3 billion his state would be in line for.
“Yes, we need some help and we appreciate the help,” Barbour said in an interview. “But I dont know about the details and the strings attached to tell you if Ill take all of it or not.”
The most outspoken critic has been South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who has warned for months of a steep spike in inflation and a severely weakened dollar if Obamas plan passed. His state is on track to receive $2.1 billion of the stimulus money; Sanford has not yet said whether he would accept it.
“Its incumbent on me as one of the nations governors to speak out against what I believe is ultimately incredibly harmful to the economy, to taxpayers and to the worth of the U.S. dollar,” Sanford said in an interview. “This plan is a huge mistake and is going to prolong and deepen this recession.”
Sanford outlined his concerns in December when the then-president-elect met with governors in Philadelphia to discuss the stimulus proposal. Sanford said he had heard nothing from the White House since then.
Source: alope
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