Governor assails spending efforts [Tennessee's Bredesen]

AP ^ | 4/19/6 | ERIK SCHELZIG

[SmithL]

NASHVILLE — Gov. Phil Bredesen on Wednesday labeled efforts by some lawmakers to restore thousands of people to TennCare and to increase spending on state highways financially reckless and politically motivated.

Bredesen, a Democrat, said initiatives under way in the General Assembly to return 68,000 "uninsurable" people to the TennCare rolls and restore some money diverted from the road fund three year ago could cost the state up to $644 million.

"I’d hate to see the action of a few plunge the state into crisis again," Bredesen said in a speech to the Tennessee Business Roundtable. "My hope and my expectation is that cooler heads will prevail — that we will put aside election-year jockeying and do what’s best for this state."

There are several bills working their way through committees to return disenrolled residents to the state’s expanded Medicaid program, including one co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Bryson, the Franklin Republican who is the governor’s likely opponent in this fall’s election.

Bredesen also said the GOP-led Senate Transportation Committee’s vote to restore the entire $65 million taken from the highway fund three years ago to balance the state’s budget is "money we don’t have."

Bredesen proposes returning only $22 million this year, while adding another $22 million over each of the following two years.

"Both of these moves are being driven by a select few people who I would have thought would be fiscal conservatives," Bredesen said.

[SmithL]

The Republican wants to spend while the Democrat holds the line on spending.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

[RedMonqey]

That's Republicans in Tennessee for ya.


Some RINOS in the state senate are pushing Anti Smoking Public Bans in a state where Tobacco is still a big state revenue enhancer.

Damned RINOS.