Senate Budget Chairman, A Democrat, Says 20 Percent of Stimulus Should be Cut

Friday, February 06, 2009
By Matt Cover

(CNSNews.com) – The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee told CNSNews.com Thursday that more than 20 percent of the stimulus bill consists of long-term spending proposals -- not short-term stimulus -- and these proposals should be removed from the final version of the bill.

Speaking at a Thursday news conference highlighting the catastrophic effects of entitlement spending, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said that only 79 percent of the money in the Senate version of the stimulus would be spent within the next two years.

The more than 20 percent that wouldn’t be spent quickly should be cut, he said.

“The overall package, the Senate package, will spend out in two years, about 79 percent. That means over 20 percent does not spend out in the next two years, and some of it has a much longer tail,â€