Dem governors urge $1 trillion in spending

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Five influential U.S. Democratic governors say it will take $1 trillion in federal spending to ease state budget cuts, create jobs and aid schools.

A $1 trillion economic stimulus package spread over two years should include at least $250 billion for education, the Democratic governors of Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Wisconsin said in a conference call Friday with reporters.

The governors said the package also should include $350 billion for road and other infrastructure projects, $250 billion for Medicaid, unemployment insurance and other assistance programs, and at least $150 billion in tax cuts for middle-income workers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Saturday.

"The assistance would be mammoth for us," said Gov. David Paterson whose state of New York is facing a $15.4 billion deficit.

Forty-one states and the District of Columbia face a combined shortfall of about $42 billion for the current fiscal year, The Boston Globe reported Saturday. President-elect Barack Obama has said he wants enact a federal stimulus package soon after taking office Jan. 20.