Rendell didn’t indicate the specifics of which programs he would restore or the amount of the funding that would be reinstated, the Allentown Morning Call reported May 28. “My heart and my head says this money should be used to restore some of these cuts,” he said at a May 27 news conference. “’I don’t think there will be a dollar-for-dollar restoration.”
The federal bailout is part of President Bush’s $350-billion tax-cut package, which includes $20 billion for cash-strapped states. Pennsylvania’s share is expected to be $900 million.
“I have had to go through the last three months shouldering a lot of criticism over these cuts,” said Rendell. “It’s going to be a nice thing to say to libraries and the folks that it’s not going to be as bad as we first considered.”
Posted June 2, 2003.