Economic Stimulus

Browsing: Economic Stimulus

Coverage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – the nearly-$800 billion stimulus package designed to jump-start the economy.

Senate, House conference leaders selected

By on February 10, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus

Senate Democratic leadership has announced who will be serving on the conference committee to iron out differences in the House and Senate versions of the stimulus bill. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Both Finance and Appropriations were heavily involved in the creation of the Senate version, with each committee holding markups on their portions. And for the House: Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, D-Wis. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Energy and…

Senate passes stimulus, 61-37

By on February 10, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus

The Senate approved its $838 billion stimulus bill by a vote of 61-37 at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. Three Republicans voted for HR 1: Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Check Federal Times shortly for a full story about the bill, as well as a breakdown of spending projects allocated for federal agencies.

Stimulus bill nearly through Senate

By on February 9, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus

The Senate voted 61-36 Monday to invoke cloture on the Collins-Nelson amendment, setting up a vote Tuesday on the full $827 billion stimulus package. The cloture vote ends debate on the Collins-Nelson amendment, a compromise amendment that cut more than $120 billion from the stimulus package to ensure enough Republican votes for passage. The Monday cloture vote is a strong indicator of what Tuesday’s vote will look like. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate will likely vote on the stimulus at noon Tuesday and will then vote on presidential nominees later in the afternoon. After Tuesday’s vote, the…

Senate stimulus: Fewer funds for feds

By on February 9, 2009 Agencies, Economic Stimulus

A group of Republican and Democratic senators trimmed nearly $100 billion from the economic stimulus package over the last few days. Most economists say the cuts are a bad idea, because the smaller the stimulus bill, the less stimulative its effect on the economy. (Think of driving up an icy hill: If you’re not going fast enough, you slide back down.) Federal managers might not like the cuts, either: The revised Senate stimulus plan eliminates billions of dollars that were allocated for federal agencies. One of the biggest cuts will hurt the General Services Administration. The House stimulus bill gives…

Stimulus will require competitive bidding

By on February 6, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus

The Senate, in what feels like its 7,000 hour of voting on amendments to the stimulus bill, just approved requiring competitive bidding for federal contracts. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., passed 97-0 Friday afternoon, a monumental show of support from both Republicans and Democrats who have been concerned about oversight of the stimulus. The amendment to the Senate version of the bill will require “all contracts, grants and cooperative agreements awarded under this act to be competitively bid.” Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said such an amendment is critical to ensuring money is responsibly spent. The temptation to…

DOT forms TIGER team to handle economic recovery

By on February 5, 2009 Economic Stimulus, Uncategorized

The Transportation Department is expected to handle about $43 billion in spending under the economic stimulus package working its way through Congress. To manage that spending, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday he has created a team to ensure the department is distributing funds rapidly, while also ensuring theyâ€™re monitored properly. The team will identify and prioritize highway, bridge, transit, rail, aviation and other transportation spending. It will also create standards to track the money, as well as measure performance and job creation. But we here at FedLine think the best part is the teamâ€™s name. It will be called…

One more word on the stimulus package

By on February 3, 2009 Economic Stimulus, Facilities, Politics

Steve calls out the wrongheaded argument that spending $75 million on FBI salaries is not economic stimulus. We can go a step further: Everything on the Republican list of “wasteful projects” is stimulative. $88 million for a new Coast Guard icebreaker? Someone is getting paid to build the ship. $248 million for new furniture at DHS headquarters? Someone has to build the furniture. Even the $400 million for the CDC’s STD prevention programs has an effect on the economy, because someone â€” whether feds or contractors â€” is getting paid to administer those programs. You can argue that these aren’t…

FBI salaries = wasteful pork?

By on February 3, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus

House Republicans yesterday unveiled a list of spending items in the stimulus bill that they called wasteful. One item in particular jumped out at me: “$75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.” Gregg CarlstromÂ last week highlighted Republican reluctance to pay for new cars for federal employees, but Republicans have also criticized many more line items affecting feds. Even though the construction industry is facing its own hardships in the economy, the GOP feels that building, renovating or repairing facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Homeland Security Department, State Department and Public…

The automakers might disagree…

By on January 29, 2009 Congress, Economic Stimulus, Fleet Management

On ABC World News last night, reporter Jonathan Karl said this about the stimulus package: But Republicans say the bill is filled with old-fashioned big-government spending that won’t stimulate the economy. For example, $335 million for sexually transmitted disease prevention, $600 million to buy new cars for government employees, and $1 billion to follow up on the 2010 Census, which, of course, hasn’t happened yet. You can argue that $1 billion for the 2010 Census isn’t stimulative. We’ll buy that. But do some Congressmen really believe spending $600 million to upgrade the federal fleet (read: buying new cars) won’t help…

House passes stimulus, adds whistleblower protection

By on January 28, 2009 Agencies, Congress, Economic Stimulus, Homeland Security

The House voted 244-188 Wednesday evening to pass the economic stimulus package, setting up a Senate vote in the coming days. The $819 billion bill, HR 1, includes $523 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts, which Democrats said will spur economic growth and create American jobs. The House approved six amendments to the bill, several of which affect federal employees: The bill now includes a provision strengthening whistleblower protections for federal employees, which had been missing from the original bill. The bill specified protections for state and local workers but did not mention federal employees. The whistleblower…

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