WASHINGTON — The conference committee that will hammer out a final economic stimulus bill must be mindful of the compromise that led to passage in the Senate, Colorado’s U.S. senators said Tuesday.
Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat, said he saw little chance that three moderate GOP senators who backed the stimulus would welcome the restoration of the bill’s original education funding, an idea supported by President Barack Obama and Colorado’s junior senator, Michael Bennet, also a Democrat.
As for $40 billion in direct aid to state budgets cut by the Senate: “There may be some room (to restore a portion of) the state stabilization funds, but that would have to be offset elsewhere in the package, so that may be a non-starter,” Udall said, adding that 80 percent of the money in the Senate version would be spent within two years, an improvement over the House version.
Bennet, who joined Udall in the group who negotiated the Senate version, said he would prefer that the education spending be restored, but he agreed with Udall that it was unlikely that would happen.
“At the end of the day, as a practical matter, the bill can’t pass the Senate without Republican support,” said Bennet, a former Denver schools superintendent. “People may not like that, but it’s true.”
That issue may complicate negotiations in the House-Senate conference committee, but Bennet said he is optimistic.
“The choices will be tough,” he said, “but I do think the conferees will come to an agreement that can be supported” by both chambers.
