Eye on the Stimulus

Some Republican governors may be holding their noses as they swallow billions of stimulus dollars coming to their states.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a crowd of small business owners Wednesday that he wished he could say "No thanks" to some of the $37 billion, which the liberal Center for American Progress says could be headed for the Lone Star State.

"I might as well quit grousing about it, because it's reality now," Perry said, according to the Associated Press.

Over in South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford has been trying to bail out of the bailout. But he seemed to give in Thursday morning on the CBS Early Show.

Recovery.gov, the long-awaited White House Web site to track how the government spends your economic stimulus dollars, is live and running. No projects have been funded yet. But you can see a breakdown of the $787 billion package, a map of how many jobs will be created in your state and a timeline of when to expect things.

How much will your state get from the economic stimulus plan? The Senate Democratic Policy Committee has created fact sheets for each state with data on everything from school computers to senior meals. If you want to dig deeper, the Congressional Research Service has a spreadsheet on how much your school district will get for special education and to help failing students. The Center for American Progress has a map that compares overall funding to each states' gross state product.

Meanwhile, if you're interested in specific issues, here's how transportation and infrastructure spending breaks down by state, including highway and bridge funding for every large metropolitan area from Albuquerque to Youngstown.

The White House will tell you how many jobs will be created in your congressional district (that is, of course, if you trust their estimates).

For more state-by-state breakdowns, see below:

Medicaid assistance to states

Unemployment insurance

Child care grants

Information on state budget assistance, food stamps, child support funding, job training and emergency shelters can be found in this report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 

As the Senate winds down its debate on the economic stimulus package, some old talking points are gaining new life. For example, Sen. Mitch McConnell just said that if you spent $1 million a day since Jesus was born, you would still not come to the $787 billion in the bill. He also says money could go to ACORN, the much-criticized community organizers. Meanwhile, Sen. Daniel Inouye says there's no earmarks. Politifact sorts out the fact, fiction and the pants on fire.