By Sean Mussenden
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama warned the nation’s governors Monday to spend wisely the billions of dollars in economic stimulus headed to their states -- or face the consequences.
“If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will put a stop to it,” Obama told the governors at the White House. “But I want everybody here to be on notice that if a state government does the same, then I will call them out on it and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it.”
The first stream of the $787 billion stimulus package will trickle into the economy on Wednesday, when $15 billion to help pay for health care for the poor is made available to the states.
After the White House meeting, Gov. Bev Perdue, D-N.C., said she wants to get as much stimulus package money as possible for the state. North Carolina is slated to receive at least $6 billion in direct funding for schools, roads, health care and other needs.
At the three-day National Governor’s Association conference in Washington that ended Monday and in meetings with White House officials, Perdue said she developed a better understanding of additional funding in the legislation for which the state can apply.
Her administration plans by the end of the week to launch a Web site tracking how the money is spent in the state.
“We’re not going to throw money away. We’re going to be efficient,” she said.
Some conservative Republican governors said after the meeting that they plan to reject at least some of the available money.
Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., repeated his concerns that the plan will hinder the economy by expanding the deficit and that it contains some spending provisions that will not stimulate the economy for several years.
“I think it’s certain we won’t accept parts of the money. We’re going through with a fairly fine tooth comb right now, trying to see what makes sense,” Sanford said.
In remarks to the governors, Obama – without naming names – said he is troubled by intense criticism from some Republican governors of small parts of the legislation.
“If we agree on 90 percent of the stuff, and we're spending all our time on television arguing about 1, 2, 3 percent of the spending in this thing and somehow it's being characterized in broad brush as wasteful spending, that starts sounding more like politics -- and that's what right now we don't have time to do,” Obama said.
Perdue said she would be more than happy to take any money South Carolina rejected.
“I said to Mark Sanford yesterday at lunch…that I am not a real good driver, but I will take a pickup truck to South Carolina and be glad to take any of the money that Mark Sanford and the people of South Carolina don’t want,” she said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.
“If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will put a stop to it,” Obama told the governors at the White House. “But I want everybody here to be on notice that if a state government does the same, then I will call them out on it and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it.”
The first stream of the $787 billion stimulus package will trickle into the economy on Wednesday, when $15 billion to help pay for health care for the poor is made available to the states.
After the White House meeting, Gov. Bev Perdue, D-N.C., said she wants to get as much stimulus package money as possible for the state. North Carolina is slated to receive at least $6 billion in direct funding for schools, roads, health care and other needs.
At the three-day National Governor’s Association conference in Washington that ended Monday and in meetings with White House officials, Perdue said she developed a better understanding of additional funding in the legislation for which the state can apply.
Her administration plans by the end of the week to launch a Web site tracking how the money is spent in the state.
“We’re not going to throw money away. We’re going to be efficient,” she said.
Some conservative Republican governors said after the meeting that they plan to reject at least some of the available money.
Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., repeated his concerns that the plan will hinder the economy by expanding the deficit and that it contains some spending provisions that will not stimulate the economy for several years.
“I think it’s certain we won’t accept parts of the money. We’re going through with a fairly fine tooth comb right now, trying to see what makes sense,” Sanford said.
In remarks to the governors, Obama – without naming names – said he is troubled by intense criticism from some Republican governors of small parts of the legislation.
“If we agree on 90 percent of the stuff, and we're spending all our time on television arguing about 1, 2, 3 percent of the spending in this thing and somehow it's being characterized in broad brush as wasteful spending, that starts sounding more like politics -- and that's what right now we don't have time to do,” Obama said.
Perdue said she would be more than happy to take any money South Carolina rejected.
“I said to Mark Sanford yesterday at lunch…that I am not a real good driver, but I will take a pickup truck to South Carolina and be glad to take any of the money that Mark Sanford and the people of South Carolina don’t want,” she said.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@mediageneral.com or 202-662-7668.