The Recovery Act Blog

  • Rebuilding America, town by town

    Posted by Jesse Lee on March 6, 2009 at 6:17 PM EDT

    Today the President went to Ohio for the Graduation of the Columbus Police Division’s 114th Class.   He went as the Department of Justice was making available $2 billion in Justice Assistance Grants from the recovery act, funding that will put more people to work -- more cops on the street, more prosecutors helping in overloaded offices, more factory jobs making law enforcement equipment (learn much more on that at recovery.gov). It was also another very bad day in economic news, demonstrating why it was so necessary to pass the recovery plan and start getting the country moving forward again.
    President Obama talked about the news:
    This city of Columbus needs the courage and the commitment of this graduating class to keep it safe, to make sure that people have the protection that they need.  This economy needs your employment to keep it running.  Just this morning we learned that we lost another 651,000 jobs throughout the country in the month of February alone, which brings the total number of jobs lost in this recession to an astounding 4.4 million.
    Four point four million jobs.  I don't need to tell the people of this state what statistics like this mean, because so many of you have been watching jobs disappear long before this recession hit. 

    President Obama made clear that while the economy he inherited seemed like it was in an endless free fall, "Well, that is not a future I accept for the United States of America." The recovery plan will help make sure the graduating class he saluted today doesn’t find themselves hitting a brick wall of budget cuts, and can still find the work they thought would be there to support themselves and their families. And that is just one sector in just one town, something that will be replicated all over the country:

    In Savannah, Georgia, the police department would use this funding to hire more crime and intelligence analysts and put more cops on the beat protecting our schools.  In Long Beach, California, it will be able to help fund 17,000 hours of overtime for law enforcement officials who are needed in high-crime areas.  West Haven, Connecticut will be able to restore crime prevention programs that were cut, even though they improved the quality of life in the city's most troubled neighborhoods.  And the state of Iowa will be able to rehire drug enforcement
    President Obama made clear that these real stories and real lives are what has made him so passionate about passing a plan that could create real jobs:
    So for those who still doubt the wisdom of our recovery plan, I ask them to talk to the teachers who are still able to teach our children because we passed this plan.  I ask them to talk to the nurses who are still able to care for our sick, and the firefighters and first responders who will still be able to keep our communities safe.  I ask them to come to Ohio and meet the 25 men and women who will soon be protecting the streets of Columbus because we passed this plan.  (Applause.)  I look at these young men and women, I look into their eyes and I see their badges today and I know we did the right thing.

    Learn more about Economy

  • Renewing America's Infrastructure

    Posted by Macon Phillips on March 3, 2009 at 2:43 PM EDT

    President Obama speaking at the Department of TransportationPresident Barack Obama addresses a crowd gathered at the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., to discuss infrastructure spending as part of the American Recovery and Investment Act, as Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood listen.(White House photo 3/3/09 by Pete Souza)
     

    "Thanks in large part to Joe Biden....and because of all the governors and mayors, county and city officials who are helping implement this plan, I can say that 14 days after I signed our Recovery Act into law, we are seeing shovels hit the ground," President Obama said in remarks at the Department of Transportation today, announcing the apportionment of $26.6 billion of a total $28 billion in infrastructure spending. 

    "Two weeks ago, I signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the most sweeping economic recovery plan in history," he said. "And already, its impact is being felt across this nation. Hardworking families can now worry a little less about next month's bills because of the tax cut they'll soon find in the mail. Renewable energy companies that were once downsizing are now finding ways to expand. And transportation projects that were once on hold are now starting up again -- as part of the largest new investment in America's infrastructure since President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System."

    Just prior to the President's remarks, Secretary LaHood announced the first project  will be in Montgomery County, Md., on State Route 650. Learn more about how the funds are going to be spent, including state-by-state and urban-suburban-rural breakdowns, at Recovery.gov.

     

    Learn more about Economy, Rural

  • Sebelius at HHS

    Posted by Macon Phillips on March 2, 2009 at 2:11 PM EDT

    Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Kathleen SebeliusOverhauling our health care system is going to take the will to fight entrenched special interests and lobbyists, the patience to work across party lines, and a little Kansas common sense.
    "Kathleen Sebelius has a remarkable intellect, unquestioned integrity, and the kind of pragmatic wisdom you’ll tend to find in a Kansan," President Obama said as he announced the Kansas Governor as his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. "I know she will bring some much-needed grace and good humor to Washington, and she will be a tremendous asset to my cabinet."
    The governor of Kansas since 2003, Secretary-designate Sebelius has a reputation for reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats and Republicans alike, while standing firm for what she believes in the face of pressure from special interests. And before being elected governor, she served as Kansas Insurance Commissioner from 1994-2002 -- so she knows her stuff.
    That's also true of Nancy Ann DeParle, the President's choice to lead the White House Office of Health Reform and one of the nation's top health care experts. She learned firsthand how our broken health care system can impact workers and families as Tennessee's commissioner of the Department of Human Services. And she saw the big picture in the Clinton administration, where she handled health care budget issues and managed Medicare and Medicaid.
    Along with these announcements, President Obama also said today that $155M from the Recovery Act will go toward supporting 126 new health centers across the country, providing care to 750,000 Americans and creating 5,000 jobs. (Get a state-by-state breakdown of how many patients will benefit from the Recovery Act funding for community health care centers.)
    It’s just an early step in a major undertaking to lower costs and expand care that isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s absolutely necessary.
    "If we are going to help families, save businesses, and improve the long-term economic health of our nation, we must realize that fixing what’s wrong with our health care system is no longer just a moral imperative, but a fiscal imperative," the President said today. "Health care reform that reduces costs while expanding coverage is no longer just a dream we hope to achieve – it’s a necessity we have to achieve."

    Learn more about Health Care

  • The case for green jobs

    Posted by Macon Phillips on February 27, 2009 at 9:50 AM EDT

    Vice President Biden makes the case for Green Jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class in the following op-ed, which appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning.
    Green jobs are a way to aid the middle class
    Joseph R. Biden Jr.
    Today, in Philadelphia, the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families is holding its inaugural meeting. Our charge is to assess current polices and develop new ones aimed at helping the middle class, the economic engine of this country.
    The economic-recovery package that President Obama signed into law last week contains more than $20 billion for investment in a cleaner, greener economy, including $500 million for green job training. The task force's first order of business is to evaluate how investing in green jobs will help build a strong middle class.
    So what exactly are "green jobs"? They provide products and services that use renewable energy resources, reduce pollution, and conserve energy and natural resources.
    Investing in green jobs also means keeping up with the modern economy. At a time when good jobs at good wages are harder and harder to come by, we must find new, innovative opportunities.
    According to the Council of Economic Advisers, green jobs pay 10 to 20 percent more than other jobs. They also are more likely to be union jobs. Building a new power grid, manufacturing solar panels, weatherizing homes and office buildings, and renovating schools are just a few of the ways to create high-quality green jobs that strengthen the foundation of this country.
    More green jobs can also mean more money in consumers' pocketbooks at the end of the month. They can reduce your electric and heating bills, leaving you more disposable income for other things.
    Right here in Philadelphia, for example, there are 400,000 rowhouses that could be weatherized and made more energy-efficient. Just doing that would lower household energy consumption by 20 to 40 percent, saving families hundreds of dollars a year.
    Fortunately, as we will stress in our meeting here today, Mayor Nutter, Gov. Rendell, and other state and city officials across the nation are ready to help us build a greener economy. Philadelphia, for example, is working with its unions, universities, and community colleges to impart green skills to workers from all walks of life. The city is also proposing a new public authority to support large-scale green investment, especially in weatherization, building retrofits, and infrastructure.
    We're excited to be in Philadelphia promoting an idea that has so many benefits. We're starting to make the investments needed to leave a cleaner world to our children while also creating good jobs right now. When you're creating green jobs, you're doing well by doing good.
    Joseph R. Biden Jr. is the Vice President of the United States.

    Learn more about Economy, Energy and Environment

  • Green job spotlight: Energy auditor

    Posted by Macon Phillips on February 26, 2009 at 2:31 PM EDT

    Green jobs are going to be one of the primary ways the middle class benefits from the economic recovery. That’s why they’re the focus of the Middle Class Task Force’s first meeting tomorrow, in Philadelphia.
    But even though the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was just signed, there are previews of the impact all over the country.
    The Philadelphia Inquirer today profiles Suechada Poynter, a 39-year-old woman who is a home energy auditor -- she checks for air leaks and improperly functioning furnaces to make buildings more energy efficient -- exactly the kind of job the ARRA will create:
    "Green jobs have opened a lot of doors for a lot of lower-class people to get into this field," said Poynter, a Thai immigrant and mother of seven who lives in Philadelphia's Logan section and earns $11 an hour for her work.
    "I'd tell him to open more doors to get more people into this field," she said. Passionate about the environment, she is studying architecture in college. "This is just the beginning of a bigger door," she said.

    Learn more about Economy, Energy and Environment

  • Fighting foreclosure and homelessness

    Posted by Macon Phillips on February 25, 2009 at 6:45 PM EDT

    The first dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are headed out the door today, as the federal government makes $15 billion available to help states shore up their Medicaid funds.
    And there's more coming up.
    Just a week after President Obama signed the Act into law, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today allocated 75% of its recovery funds -- $10 billion -- to create green jobs, to revive housing markets with high rates of foreclosure, and curb homelessness.
    "Recovery Act investments in HUD programs will be not just swift, but also effective," HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a statement. "They will generate tens of thousands of jobs, help the families and communities hardest hit by the economic crisis, and modernize homes to make them energy efficient."
    The money opened up today includes:
    $3 billion to develop, finance, and modernize public housing; $255 million for Native American and Native Hawaiian Housing; nearly $100 million for lead hazard reduction; $2.25 billion to kick-start the production of stalled affordable rental housing projects under the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP); $2 billion to undertake much-needed project improvements to maintain the quality of critical affordable housing; $1 billion to rehabilitate affordable housing and improve key public facilities under the Community Development Block Grant Program; $1.5 billion to reduce homelessness, and prevent it among those facing a sudden economic crisis; and a temporary increase to the loan limits of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
    You can even see how the funds break down by program area on a state-by-state basis.

    Learn more about Economy, Fiscal Responsibility