Republican Candidate Pawlenty Says 5% Growth Is a ‘Stretch Goal’

Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said his plan for stoking the U.S. economy to grow at 5 percent a year is an “aspiration” that goes hand-in-hand with his proposals to slash taxes and cut government spending.

Pawlenty, 50, told “Fox News Sunday” he would “dramatically reduce spending” on federal programs to pay for tax cuts that may lower revenue by as much as $11.6 trillion over a decade. Achieving 5 percent growth each year is a “stretch goal,” the former Minnesota governor said yesterday.