Governor Phil Bredesen is combining the wish lists of Democratic governors and what they hope to see in another federal stimulus package.
Governor Bredesen is writing to the Obama transition team from his position as policy chief of the Democratic Governors Association.
“I think we’ll be much more persuasive to an incoming administration speaking with a single voice, and giving some real ideas and not just a laundry list of what 28 different governors want.”
The governors have general agreement that they want money for infrastructure improvements. But Bredesen says they want flexibility in how they spend it.
For Tennessee, Bredesen wants additional unemployment benefits and an expansion of food stamps. Also part of the letter, Bredesen will request additional Medicaid funding since more people are expected to enroll for benefits, even as state revenues continue to fall.
Bredesen says he will deliver the wish list some time in the next few days with little fanfare.
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