On the front lines
"You're on the front lines," President Obama told a gathering of 85 mayors in the East Room of the White House this morning.
Mayors and governors have to keep balanced budgets, so they are familiar with the pain that comes with making cuts that broad and deep, he said.
And when that happens, people "turn to the mayor's office for help."
That's why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides much needed assistance to states, cities, and towns that are in desperate need of it to keep from making major cuts in essential services, and to save jobs.
But more than that, by investing in health care, education, and infrastructure, the ARRA will "make our metropolitan areas more livable and sustainable."
In return, the President said he expects an unprecedented level of vigilance in making sure the money from the act is spent efficiently and wisely.
"We can't tolerate business as usual -- not in Washington, not in our state capitals, not in our cities and towns."
White House Blogs
- The White House Blog
- Middle Class Task Force
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Council on Women and Girls
- Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of Public Engagement
- Office of Science & Tech Policy
- Office of Urban Affairs
- Open Government
- Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships
- Social Innovation and Civic Participation
- US Trade Representative
- Office National Drug Control Policy
categories
- AIDS Policy
- Alaska
- Blueprint for an America Built to Last
- Budget
- Civil Rights
- Defense
- Disabilities
- Economy
- Education
- Energy and Environment
- Equal Pay
- Ethics
- Faith Based
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Foreign Policy
- Grab Bag
- Health Care
- Homeland Security
- Immigration
- Innovation Fellows
- Inside the White House
- Middle Class Security
- Open Government
- Poverty
- Rural
- Seniors and Social Security
- Service
- Social Innovation
- State of the Union
- Taxes
- Technology
- Urban Policy
- Veterans
- Violence Prevention
- White House Internships
- Women
- Working Families
- Additional Issues