Keeping An Eye On Stimulus Spending

Filed under Infrastructure, by Peter Elstrom on April 30

Mystified by the stimulus plan? You’re not alone.

As the federal government tries to dole out the $787 billion allocated for economic stimulus, it’s difficult to keep track of where the money is going and what it’s being used for. One good spot to find out such information is recovery.gov, the government’s Web site for delivering stimulus information.

The group's goal, as explained in a mission statement, is:

Education: Explain the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act;
Transparency: Show how, when, and where the money is spent;
Accountability: Provide data that will allow citizens to evaluate the Act’s progress and provide feedback.

One interesting thing on the site are the charts and graphs of various projects. One tracks the economic stimulus spending by week. Another explains how stimulus money is being used to help make government buildings more energy efficient.

Clearly, this is a government Web site with the government's take on these issues. But it is a good stop to get an overview of where the stimulus money is going.