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Macomb County's two lawmakers have embraced President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, including a huge $300 billion tax cut, that the incoming president said is urgently needed to revive a U.S. economy that is "bad and getting worse."
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, said she has no qualms with the economic package proposed by the incoming Democratic president.
"I think it's starting to look like a pretty good mix," Miller said. "There's … nothing that's a deal-breaker for me."
A member of the House Transportation Committee, Miller said she's especially pleased that Obama plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure projects that will improve roads, bridges and sewers. The con
gresswoman said every $1 billion spent on infrastructure projects will create an estimated 28,000 to 35,000 jobs.
Rep. Sander Levin agreed with Miller that the economic package must present diverse solutions toward breaking the recession.
"There needs to be a major mix of investments that will create jobs right away, such as infrastructure projects … and also some targeted tax cuts," said Levin, a Royal Oak Democrat who represents most of Macomb County.
Levin said the surprisingly large tax cut— for wage earners and businesses — may entice some Republican support, but he said that now is not the time for horse-trading on Capitol Hill.
"I think the (economic) emergency is so overriding that everyone should leave aside their traditional concepts. I think the lines of division shouldn't be a factor," said Levin, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax matters.
The stimulus package, dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, is likely to include some $200 billion to help revenue-starved states pay for health care programs for the poor and other operating costs. A large part of the new spending would go for infrastructure projects, blending old-fashioned road and bridge repairs with new programs to advance energy efficiency and rebuild health care information technology systems.
The plan, Levin said, may include several provisions that will specifically benefit Michigan: additional funding to re-tool auto plants, appropriating $3 billion to assist with auto battery technology development, expanding COBRA health care coverage for the unemployed, and widening the reach of unemployment insurance, particularly for part-time workers.
"We need to do this quickly, but we need to do it right," the veteran congressman said, predicting a House vote by the end of the month. Congressional leaders hope to get a bill to Obama's desk by mid-February.
While Republicans have expressed concerns about a legislative package with a price tag that could reach $800 billion, Levin said lawmakers need to balance long-term fiscal concerns with immediate needs to prop up the economy.
"This is like an economic hurricane has hit this country. In … tracing just how deep this hole is, I don't think we know yet," he added.
Miller said Obama is right to offer states assistance with rising Medicaid costs at a time when the rolls for the low-income health care plan are rising and the population is aging.
In addition, Miller said the president-elect's emphasis on financing the conversion of health care providers to updated computerized records of patient information is a "fantastic idea."
"You have some big thinkers in both parties that are talking about improved IT for the health care field," Miller said.
The result, she said, would be reduced costs, less duplication and errors, greater efficiency and, ultimately, lives saved. Levin agreed, saying he is "astonished" at the inadequate IT used in hospitals.
But Miller said the most hopeful sign in the stimulus plan is Obama's emphasis on tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses.
"These are the kinds of things that are very important in our state, so that's very attractive," said the GOP lawmaker. "These are the kinds of incentives that are important to Main Street, to regular people."
As the new Congress was sworn in Tuesday, Obama, who takes office in 13 days, was expressing confidence that the economic measures would receive quick approval on Capitol Hill.
Unlike the stimulus checks mailed to taxpayers last year, the Obama tax cut would adjust the paycheck withholdings paid by families earning up to about $200,000. Overall, individual taxpayers would receive $500 in income tax cuts, and couples would gain $1,000.
The average couple would save about $40 every two weeks, $20 for individuals.
In addition, businesses would receive about $100 billion worth of incentives to hire workers, purchase new equipment and write off past losses.
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