Looks like the Department of Defense might have to wait for the next stimulus package to steam clean the bird droppings off a building. In his quarterly update to the president, Vice President Joe Biden reported yesterday that more than 170 projects have either been halted or modified in the past seven months to ensure that stimulus spending is effective in creating jobs and boosting economic growth.

Among the axed or altered programs : Three projects to renovate swimming pools; nine projects to fix or upgrade Defense Department athletic facilities; a freezer for the Interior Department to freeze fish sperm; repairs to the East Wing of the White House; and Agriculture Department loans for a ski resort, a luxury spa and a Rite Aid.

We’ve asked the vice president’s office for the full list and will post it once we receive it.

In addition to ticking off rejections, Biden gave the following progress report, as of Sept. 30:

§ $251 billion — or 50.3% — of the $499 billion in Recovery Act spending (the portion not including tax cuts) has been obligated

§ $196 billion has now been spent or provided as tax relief —$11 million ahead of the Congressional Budget Office’s original estimate when the stimulus passed in February

We’ve been tracking stimulus spending. You can check it out here.