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Recovery Act Milestone - 200 Days

September 3, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET by Cammie Croft
"You know, it all adds up to this, in my view at least: the Recovery Act has played a significant role in changing the trajectory of our economy, and changing the conversation about the economy in this country.  Instead of talking about the beginning of a depression, we're talking about the end of a recession -- eight months after taking office."
-- Vice President Joe Biden, September 3, 2009

One-hundred days ago, Vice President Joe Biden announced the "Roadmap to Recovery," a summer initiative designed to accelerate the Administration’s recovery efforts. Ten major projects – from putting more cops on our streets to keeping more teachers in our classrooms to giving more people access to health care – were announced.

Today, at the 200-day milestone of the Recovery Act, the Vice President revealed in a letter to President Obama, "I am pleased to report to you that all ten agencies have met or exceeded their commitments." Here are a few highlights:
  • The Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its goal of providing expanded service at 1,129 Health Centers in 50 states and 8 territories – providing that expanded service to approximately 500,000 patients.
  • The Department of Education kept more educators in our schools – meeting their goal of funding over 135,000 education positions across the nation.
  • The Department of Justice put more officers in our communities – funding 4,699 law enforcement officers’ salaries and benefits for three years.
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs met their goal of beginning improvements at 90 Veterans Medical Centers across 38 states.
Vice President Biden takes a question.(Vice President Joe Biden answers a question after delivering a speech outlining the first 200 days of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Brookings Institute in Washington, DC, Thursday, September 3, 2009. To the Vice President's right is Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann.)


To learn more about the Recovery Act’s progress, visit WhiteHouse.gov/Recovery/Roadmap/. There, you can easily compare the commitments and results of the "Roadmap to Recovery" and also learn about the specific projects happening in your local community.

At the 200-day milestone, the Recovery Act isn’t just working; it’s working towards something – a more resilient, more transformative, economy. But, there’s more work to be done. On the Recovery blog, we’ll continue telling the stories of recovery in communities across the country. Help tell that story – share your photos, videos or comments about recovery projects happening in your neighborhood.