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Eye on the Stimulus

Stimulus Oversight Chief Questions Jobs Numbers Too

Earl Devaney (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Here at ProPublica, we have been detailing questions about White House job estimates for months, especially state-by-state estimates that are a wee bit specific, given the margins of error involved.

Turns out, we're not the only ones worried. Among others questioning the estimates is none other than Earl Devaney, the stimulus oversight czar. (Formal title: Chairman of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board.)

According to a press pool report from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation Conference, an unnamed state official from Vermont asked if state job numbers on the recovery.gov Web site were made up.

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Morning Cup of Stimulus: Where Is the Money?

This is the latest from our stimulus blog.

benderbending/Flickr; Krista Kjellman/ProPublicaTomorrow will mark a month since President Obama signed the stimulus bill into law, and state officials from Florida to Indiana are starting to wonder: Where is the money?

Vice President Joe Biden on Friday touted $1.3 billion for Amtrak, which will double its capital budget over the next two years. Amtrak facilities in Beech Grove, Ind., and Bear, Del., will see new jobs as the government-owned rail corporation hires workers to repair passenger cars. Meanwhile, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows how the stimulus will help states avoid drastic budget cuts.

Project of the day: The Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minn., will get a fresh coat of paint.

Why Workers Were Left Out to Dry in Texas

Gov. Rick Perry (Office of the Governor Rick Perry)Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially rejected money from the stimulus bill when he turned away $550 million that would have expanded unemployment insurance benefits.

As we have pointed out in the past, this is interesting, given that in Texas only one in five unemployed workers receives benefits -- a percentage that earns the state the rank of 49th out of 51 jurisdictions. The federal funding would pay for benefits for 45,000 Texans who otherwise would not qualify.

Perry and other governors who also have threatened to refuse the unemployment insurance funding say the bill would force them to raise taxes on businesses to sustain the expanded benefits in two years, when the federal money runs out.

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Morning Cup of Stimulus: All Aboard! Not Exactly

This is the latest from our new stimulus blog.

Photo by RoadsidepicturesLots of stuff this morning: Vice President and longtime rail commuter Joe Biden will be at Washington's Union Station at noon to announce stimulus funding for Amtrak. And he and the president will issue regulations on spending no-nos. "A little hint," Biden told a meeting of state officials yesterday. "No swimming pools in this money; a few other things."

The meeting brought state budget officers and auditors to the White House to talk about accountability for the stimulus. The theme: Don't waste it.

Four More Members of the State Stimulus Transparency List

 Updated: A couple late breakers, Tennessee and New Mexico, have joined the list, too.

Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia and the District of Columbia joined our roster of state stimulus Web sites today. Check out Arkansas: Like most states, they let us know how much money their programs and projects are in line to receive. But they take it a step further, telling you who to call if you've got questions about a given program and where, exactly, the money's coming from. If a certain program catches your eye, you can even sign up for e-mail alerts when the site's updated.

Also, the city of Baltimore took on stimulus transparency (PDF) with its own Web site earlier this week (Maryland has one, too).

Here’s the full, updated list.

Track the Stimulus: Interactive Tools

Recovery Tracker
Find stimulus projects happening near you. (Updated: March 2010)
Want CSVs of our stimulus data? Fill out this signup form.

Stimulus Speed Chart
Which government agencies are the slowest at getting stimulus money out the door? Updated weekly.

Stimulus Spending Progress
How quickly are federal agencies spending? Updated weekly.

ProPublica’s Unofficial Guide to Recovery.gov
Confused by the government's official stimulus data Web site? Our guide will tell you how to navigate it.

How to Background Check Stimulus Companies
A guide of tips and resources on researching the background of companies getting stimulus funds.

Resources
Photo by flickr user sparkieblues http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkieblues/3971258497/

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