As the president travels to his state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) laid out the welcome mat by touting the impact that the stimulus plan is having in California.
Schwarzenegger held an event in Merced to tout one of the 57 infrastructure projects that he said will create 11,000 jobs in the Golden State.
“President Obama was absolutely right to invest federal economic stimulus funding in our nation’s ailing infrastructure Read more…
Vice President Joe Biden was in his element this afternoon as he joined former Congressional colleagues to trumpet funding for passenger rail in the stimulus funding. Saying he’s in the top five of Amtrak riders of all time, the former Delaware senator said the system has been “left out much too long” in the nation’s transportation plans, despite claims that it is over-subsidized.
After sparking an outburst of conversation Tuesday when she admitted the possible necessity of a second economic stimulus package, Speaker Nancy Pelosi pulled back some today during her weekly press conference.
“I really would like to focus on the first one,” Pelosi said, when asked about a second stimulus. “I know that people have made suggestions that we should be ready to do something, but I really would like to see this stimulus Read more…
The stimulus bill has been law for two weeks now, but President Obama is still selling it. At an event at the Transportation Department this morning Obama sought to demonstrate progress, saying the first highway construction contract has been awarded, and 200 more will break ground in coming weeks.
These projects, Obama said, are “fueling growth in an industry that’s been hard hit by our economic crisis.” He estimated that projects Read more…
The nation’s governors wrapped up a visit to Washington with meetings at the White House this morning, which included some strong words from President Obama about the decision by some to publicly reject some of the stimulus funds directed at the states.
A group of Republican governors has raised specific concerns about allocations for unemployment insurance that they believe would place long-term burdens on the states in return for Read more…
The compromise stimulus bill up for a vote in both the House and Senate this week has several provisions intended to kick-start slumping auto sales – but not nearly as many as the industry had fought for.
The Detroit News reports, “House and Senate negotiators agreed on a $789 billion stimulus bill that includes a scaled-back tax break to buy new vehicles.” The original proposal would have made “sales tax deductible Read more…
The House Appropriations Committee has published the economic stimulus bill that both chambers of Congress will be voting on today. It can be found here.
Republicans are currently arguing on the House floor that they and the American public have not had enough time to look at the text. Both parties had agreed to allow 48 hours to review the conference report before voting, though the bill was placed online just after midnight last Read more…
With Congress nearing final approval of the stimulus bill, President Obama began looking ahead to its implementation, promising unprecedented oversight and transparency of the “enormous” plan, while also taking personal responsibility for the results.
“There are those who express the opinion that we won’t be able to do it, who say that this plan’s too big to be implemented effectively and efficiently,” Obama said in Springfield this Read more…
Gov. Sarah Palin came to DC last week ostensibly to lobby for some stimulus funds (and also to attend the Alfalfa Club Dinner). Mitt Romney last week agreed in principle with the need for stimulus, but criticized the Democratic proposal on the table. Now Mike Huckabee is telling his supporters that the recovery plan is “garbage.”
From a HuckPAC e-mail:
“This stimulus bill is full of pork and does little to add real jobs and spend Read more…
President Obama has rarely invoked his strong electoral victory last November in public. But with his stimulus plan at a critical juncture and his administration reeling from the Daschle withdrawal, Obama did just that this morning at an event called to announce new limits on executive pay.
Obama defended his proposal as more than just “a prescription for short-term spending,” calling it a “strategy for long-term economic growth in Read more…
