Sen. Hutchison, Cornyn against stimulus

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Texas Senators said the stimulus package at the center of a Senate debate will not effectively stimulate the economy.

"The bill before us is not the right approach," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in a press release sent out on Thursday. During a satellite interview,, Sen. John Cornyn expressed a similar sentiment.

"I'm hopeful that we can come to a compromise on the bill," he said. "But, I cannot support the bill as it stands now."

Cornyn tried to add certain amendments to the package that he said are the needed tools to jump start the economy.

"We need to deal with the housing crisis," he said. Cornyn also wants to appropriate money for defense equipment for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and get more federal funding for the Texas coast.

"I don’t think its fair that Texans have to spend their Federal tax dollars on states that couldn't manage their financial situations," he said.

As to how much Texas is expected to get from the stimulus package, Cornyn could not say.

"I don't think it will create jobs and stimulate the economy though," he said.

Despite the criticism of the package, Cornyn did not rule out voting for the bill if changes are made. However, he compared it to the stimulus package passed under former President Bush.

"We are repeating the same mistake as the last stimulus package," he said. "Checks will be sent out, which we learned before didn't work. Instead of spending the money, people saved it."

To watch the complete interview with Sen. Cornyn and hear what the Texas Attorney General has to say about mortgage fraud in Texas, tune in to Session '09 Austin News In-Depth. It airs Sunday at 9:30 a.m., right before Meet the Press.

 

 

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