Economy Alarm: White House: 'Inefficient' Government Programs Raking In Stimulus Cash
White House: ‘Inefficient’ Government Programs Raking In Stimulus Cash
Taxpayer Funds Funneled to Wasteful Programs Put on the Chopping Block by Obama Budget
Democrats to Taxpayers: Trust Us, We’ll Spend Your Money Wisely
“We cannot overstate the importance of this effort. We are asking the American people to trust their government with an unprecedented level of funding to address the economic emergency. In return, we must prove to them that their dollars are being invested in initiatives and strategies that make a difference in their communities and across the country.” (Memorandum to Head of Departments and Agencies, www.Recovery.gov, February 9, 2009)
Credibility Crash: Stimulus Funds Going to ‘Inefficient,’ ‘Duplicate’ Programs Set for Elimination
More than $3.5 billion in economic stimulus funds are going to programs that President Obama wants to eliminate or trim in his new budget.
The president’s budget released this month recommends getting rid of Army Corps of Engineers’ drinking-water projects, which got $200 million in stimulus funds, and a U.S. Department of Agriculture flood-prevention program, which received $290 million from the stimulus, a USA TODAY review of stimulus spending reports show.
The administration’s budget plan says the corps and USDA programs are inefficient and duplicate similar, more effective work by other agencies. The proposed cuts indicate the programs shouldn’t have gotten money from the $862 billion stimulus package, said Tom Schatz of the non-partisan budget watchdog Citizens Against Government Waste.
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Obama’s proposed budget also includes $334 million in cuts to programs that got more than $3 billion in stimulus money. They include:
• A $100 million cut in funding for maintenance and construction in national forests. The Forest Service got $650 million for such projects in the stimulus package, of which $55.6 million has been spent, according to USDA reports. The White House budget says the Forest Service doesn’t need as much money because it is building fewer roads.
• A $44 million decrease in funding for an Interior Department program to thin trees and brush on federal land to mitigate wildfires. The stimulus provided $15 million for the program. The administration says it is reorganizing the program, which has been less effective than it should be because it didn’t focus on preventing the fires most likely to threaten homes. (Matt Kelley, “Stimulus Funds Going to Slashed Programs,” USA Today, 2/17/10)
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