While the amount of federal aid Wisconsin and other states will receive from President-elect Barack Obama’s stimulus package remains unknown, a Washington group estimates the state could receive $1.64 billion.
The Federal Funds Information for States released a report Tuesday that aims to give states a general idea of the funds that will be available through a stimulus package, according to Vic Miller, senior fellow for the Federal Funds Information for States.
Miller said the report is meant to give estimates that will guide governors’ budget plans, since they currently have no other information regarding how much federal assistance they will receive.
“The main focus of the stimulus plan will be heavily in Medicaid and infrastructure programs,” Miller said.
For infrastructure projects, the report used the data for funds needed this year and increased the numbers by 50 percent, estimating Wisconsin would receive $624 million for highway projects and $88 million for mass transit projects. There would also be several hundreds of thousands of dollars available for Medicaid.
Carla Vigue, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle, said the governor is working on the 2009 budget without considering the $1.64 billion dollar prediction.
“Right now, the governor is working on making cuts to the budget without using any dollar amount from a stimulus package, although some federal help would make the budget easier,” Vigue said.
Vigue added focusing on infrastructure programs and Medicaid is right in line with Doyle’s plan. He is currently working on approximately $3.7 billion worth of “ready-to-go” projects, though he has yet to request a specific amount of federal aid.
“The way that President-elect Obama has asked the states to work with him is to put together several infrastructure projects,” Vigue said. “That will help to make jobs right away, such as building roads and constructing university buildings.”
John Anderson, spokesperson for Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said federal aid should be focused on infrastructure projects to help create jobs, though he added even with federal aid, no programs are safe from cuts.
“Everything right now is going to be under scrutiny,” Anderson said. “We are not going to leave the most vulnerable in the state without assistance, but at this point right now all state programs are susceptible.”
He added since Wisconsin makes up roughly 2 percent of the nation’s population, a fair amount of the federal stimulus plan would be 2 percent.
Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, questioned funding Wisconsin through federal aid because he said the money would eventually come from taxpayers.
“Reducing government and getting rid of wasteful programs is what should be done, not letting the federal government solve our problems for us,” Suder said.
Suder added these problems have persisted for years, and the real issue is that the amount of federal reimbursement Wisconsin receives for Medicaid has been among one of the lowest out of all the states.
“Really what the package is is a Band-Aid, when they should have had these programs fixed in the first place,” Suder said.
