Concern over how the national recession will impact state economies was the main topic of conversation when members of the National Governor’s Association met with President-Elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen says they’re all looking to Washington for help in providing necessary services like Medicare and unemployment benefits during this critical time. Bredesen says governors from a few especially hard-hit states made the case for help in the form of block grants. Tennessee’s governor notes that such a request isn’t the formal position of the National Governor’s Association. He adds that the new administration was noncommittal about what sort of aid they may offer.
