By Neil H. Simon
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both Virginia Democrats, both voted Tuesday to add $25 billion in infrastructure spending to an $885 billion economic stimulus bill being debated in the Senate.
The amendment, offered by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., fell two votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and move toward passage.
Warner, Virginia’s freshman senator, encouraged swift action on the stimulus late Monday, particularly highlighting the need for road and bridge spending. Virginia stands to receive $918 million for transit, highway and water projects under the current package, according to Senate Appropriations Committee staff.
“If we delay and debate and go on and back and forth,” Warner said, “we could end up missing the whole construction season in many of the Northern states because the money would not get out on road projects to actually be put to use this summer.”
Warner and Webb both said they have reservations about the package. The bill would give Virginia an estimated $3.5 billion, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Of that amount $1.6 billion would be dedicated to stabilizing the state budget.
Webb has “substantive concerns” about “projects that, while important, are not overtly ‘stimulative,’” said Jessica Smith, Webb’s spokeswoman.
Warner said he wanted to see the stimulus bill focus more on job creation and sought assurances the spending was short term.
“I want to make sure states get some assistance, but I also think that states should use their rainy day funds,” Warner said. He said federal aid to the states should be directly tied to states “making some hard choices.”
Warner, who made his fortune as a co-founder of telecommunications giant Nextel, sounded wary of continued government investment to patch up the ailing economy.
“The economy will recover but we don’t want to be stuck with a lot of long term out-year commitments that we might not be able to afford in terms of the deficit,” Warner said. A prolonged government intervention in the private sector could “cause havoc” on the credit markets, he said.
The amendment, offered by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., fell two votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and move toward passage.
Warner, Virginia’s freshman senator, encouraged swift action on the stimulus late Monday, particularly highlighting the need for road and bridge spending. Virginia stands to receive $918 million for transit, highway and water projects under the current package, according to Senate Appropriations Committee staff.
“If we delay and debate and go on and back and forth,” Warner said, “we could end up missing the whole construction season in many of the Northern states because the money would not get out on road projects to actually be put to use this summer.”
Warner and Webb both said they have reservations about the package. The bill would give Virginia an estimated $3.5 billion, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Of that amount $1.6 billion would be dedicated to stabilizing the state budget.
Webb has “substantive concerns” about “projects that, while important, are not overtly ‘stimulative,’” said Jessica Smith, Webb’s spokeswoman.
Warner said he wanted to see the stimulus bill focus more on job creation and sought assurances the spending was short term.
“I want to make sure states get some assistance, but I also think that states should use their rainy day funds,” Warner said. He said federal aid to the states should be directly tied to states “making some hard choices.”
Warner, who made his fortune as a co-founder of telecommunications giant Nextel, sounded wary of continued government investment to patch up the ailing economy.
“The economy will recover but we don’t want to be stuck with a lot of long term out-year commitments that we might not be able to afford in terms of the deficit,” Warner said. A prolonged government intervention in the private sector could “cause havoc” on the credit markets, he said.