Rendell Happy With Stimulus

The final version of the federal stimulus restores much of the funding the Senate had cut out and that has Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell smiling. Earlier this week, Rendell sounded the alarm at a press conference when he said if portions of the stimulus weren't restored, thousands of state employees would be laid off, and 500 million dollars of additional cuts would need to be made. But as the measure moved through the conference committee Rendell announced that the money was back. He told reporters, “It's almost a wash. Not quite, but it's almost a wash. So there won't have to be 500 million dollars of additional cuts. If at all, less than 100 million, depending on how the F-MAP formula comes out.” Rendell says the bill will create between 100-thousand and 120-thousand Pennsylvania jobs, mostly in construction. He says Senator Arlen Specter deserves a lot of credit for making it a reality, as the measure is expected to pass through democratically controlled Congress today.