Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour reported today that President-Elect Barack Obama's Tuesday meeting with state governors on addressing the recession was "cordial."
"I'm pleased that he sought the input of governors who I think are closer to the economic reality than other officials in that we have to deal with it everyday," Barbour told reporters.
Obama promised governors he would act fast on a national economic plan to pull the country out of its deepening recession, stating that his administration "does not intend to delay in getting you the help that we need.
More than 40 states are expected to face budget deficits this year, and Obama plans to invest heavily in infrastructure repair. Congressional leaders are mulling the possibility of a $500 billion investment in streets, bridges, schools and similar projects over the next two years.
Barbour encouraged infrastructure development, but said he warned the president to slate no one-time monies for annual use by states.
"When I became governor we had a budget hole in excess of $700 million and about $400 million of that had been money the federal government had given us the previous year. and the state spent it on reoccurring expenses. The following year that $400 million wasn't there, and we were in a worse hole than we would've been the year before because we delayed dealing with the problem and raised expectations while the cost of the services provided by that $400 million went up in a year."
Barbour said he was pleased the president-elect seemed to recognize that that was a problem.
Obama, he said, was looking at investing one-time money in projects such as equipment purchases that would allow better service to citizens.
Previous Comments
- ID
- 142017
- Comment
So, is the long and short of this story is the fact that Barbour will not accept money if it is only awarded for one year? This is ludicrous!
- Author
- justjess
- Date
- 2008-12-04T15:33:32-06:00
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