Doyle praised Congress's economic stimulus bill at a press conference Thursday, but said the state will face difficult financial times even with the help of federal funds.
According to Doyle, the $789 billion version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act agreed upon Wednesday would send around $3.5 billion to Wisconsin. He said $2 billion of these funds will go toward education and Medicaid and help offset the 2009-11 projected state budget deficit of $5.7 billion.
This bill, as it gets enacted into law, will help us enormously be able to move forward in Wisconsin,"" Doyle said.
Doyle said he will deliver the 2009-11 budget Tuesday under the assumption the stimulus package will become law, but said even with the help of these funds, Wisconsin will face a very large budget deficit.
""[The stimulus package] is not going to solve all of the budget problems that Wisconsin has or any of the other states in this country have,"" Doyle said.
For Wisconsin, the stimulus bill would give eligible working families $800 dollar tax cuts and $2,500 tax credits for college, as well as increase unemployment compensation benefits by $100 and the maximum Pell Grant by $500.
According to a White House statement, the stimulus bill will create or save 70,000 jobs in Wisconsin.
The bill also includes $8.5 billion for the National Institute of Health for research projects. The University of Wisconsin was the second largest recipient of NIH funds out of any university last year, according to Doyle, and will likely benefit from this increase in their funding.
In addition to the money toward research projects, the bill also allocates $1.5 billion toward university research facility renovation.
Doyle recognized U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., who is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, for his contributions to the stimulus bill.
""Congressman Obey really has been the champion for us, and I'm very thankful for that,"" he said.
