White House: Infrastructure Spending Won’t Effectively Help Economy

WHITE HOUSE (AP) — The White House says President Bush doesn’t think including infrastructure projects in a stimulus package will be effective in boosting the economy.

The comments come as governors from across the country have been meeting with Bush on Monday. Some — including Democrat Eliot Spitzer of New York and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger of California — are pushing for federal money to repair roads, water systems and bridges.

But White House press secretary Dana Perino says Bush doesn’t think that would be a “stimulative way to get the economy going.”

Perino says she’s sure the president would listen to the governors’ ideas about improving infrastructure “outside of the stimulus package.”