but former bush administration economic policy expert andrew biggs says the type of spending cuts also matter. infrastructure cuts are likely to hurt growth, but cuts in government paychecks or entitlement programs might encourage more people to work, boosting growth. >> there is a lot of moving parts here. i am not strong proponent that cutting spending in recession is going to give you a burst of growth, but it is the best policy we should make for the long term. >> reporter: supporters of deep spending cuts use canada as an example. in the 1990s, canada cut its budget and boosted growth. but wells fargo chief economist john silvia says that's because the value of the canadian dollar fell. at the time, the u.s. economy was booming and canadian exports rose sharply. standard economic theory says a big cut in the federal budget would weaken the u.s. dollar now. that would make u.s. exports cheaper, which might increase employment, but silvia cautions europe and japan may be too weak to buy many u.s. goods. >> we also have this sort of conflicting view about what about the dollar? are w