Biden: Stimulus Funds are Flowing
EmailABC News’ Karen Travers reports: Vice President Joe Biden announced today that just a week after President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, $15 billion in Medicaid funds are on their way to state governments and more announcements will come over the next week as the money starts flowing. Biden said the Department of Housing and Urban Development today will give $10 billion to state and local governments to create and fund jobs through public housing projects. Biden chaired the first meeting focused on oversight and implementation of the stimulus funds, a job he was given because “nobody messes with Joe,” President Obama said last night. Biden said several times that this level and type of oversight is unprecedented and warned that he was going to be tough. “I’m going to be a bit of a pain in the neck,” Biden said, telling Cabinet members that they will be having weekly meetings on this issue. OMB Director Peter Orszag said that the web site the White House set up — www.recovery.gov — is getting 3,000 hits per second, which the Obama Administration believes is a sign of the strong interest in accountability and transparency for this massive amount of federal dollars. Biden: We Will Publicly Embarrass Those Who Misuse Funds This morning Biden put states on notice and made it clear that the White House is not going to sit back and do nothing if stimulus funds are misused. “In some cases, we can withdraw the money, we can hold them accountable. And in other places we’ll just use the television, the radio and the media to embarrass them for not doing what they’re supposed to do,” Biden said to Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts. At the White House, Biden repeated his pledge to take to the airwaves to shame those who misuse the funds. “If the money’s not being out there spent, I’m going to go on television and say, ‘You know, we gave so and so X amount of dollars and nothing’s happened. Why hasn’t it happened?’" Biden was joined in the meeting by Treasury Secretary Geithner; HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan; EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Energy Secretary Steven Chu. — Karen Travers
Mitt Romney's Full Speech at CPAC 2012 
Romney Makes His Case to Conservatives at CPAC
Does he mean we will embarrass ANYONE, or just those who are not members of his party?!
Posted by: samhiguchi | February 25, 2009, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
The bigger question is can he embarass anyone without embarassing himself even more?
Posted by: Mike_C | February 25, 2009, 12:42 pm 12:42 pm
At the White House, Biden repeated his pledge to take to the airwaves to shame those who misuse the funds. “If the money’s not being out there spent, I’m going to go on television and say, ‘You know, we gave so and so X amount of dollars and nothing’s happened. Why hasn’t it happened?’”
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First, waste, fraud and abuse will have to be found. Government has an awful track record on discovery of such things.
Posted by: mad | February 25, 2009, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
“embarass” them? the corrupt don’t get
embarassed – in fact they’re proud that
they got away easy.
Posted by: erlinda a. castillo | February 25, 2009, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm
We will publicly embarrass anyone who misuses funds, eh Joe?
Bailout Bank Blows Millions Partying in L.A.
Posted Feb 24th 2009 12:30AM by TMZ Staff
A bank that received $1.6 billion in bailout money just spent a fortune last week in L.A. hosting a series of lavish parties and concerts with famous singers … and TMZ cameras caught it all.
Northern Trust, a Chicago-based bank, sponsored the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club in L.A. We’re told Northern Trust paid millions to sponsor the PGA event which ended Sunday, but what happened off the golf course is even more shocking.
Northern Trust flew hundreds of clients and employees to L.A. and put many of them up at some of the fanciest and priciest hotels in the city. We’re told more than a hundred people were put up at the Beverly Wilshire in Bev Hills, and another hundred stayed at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Still more stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey and others at Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica.
Posted by: mountainaires | February 25, 2009, 1:03 pm 1:03 pm
He could start by retroactively embarrassing Frnaklin Raines and Jamie Gorelick, Democrats who made off with over $100 million from Fannie Mae. But don’t hold your breath.
Meantime, from Rasmussen:
“On Wednesday, the Rasmussen Investor Index declined another half-a-point to 54.1. That’s down eight points from a week ago and 13 points from a month ago. It’s also the third straight day that investor confidence has fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded in the seven-year history of the Investor Index.”
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | February 25, 2009, 1:08 pm 1:08 pm
Ironically, Northern Trust also holds the mortgage of the Obama-Rezco estate in Chicago…
Posted by: tjp612 | February 25, 2009, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm
Congressmen sent a letter to Northern trust asking for them to repay equivalent costs to the party they hosted to the taxpayers. Can they do that? I have no idea because this was was the TARP bailout money with little strings attached but at least they giving it a try.
Posted by: Ordermonger | February 25, 2009, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
“Two of President Obama’s Cabinet members authored a variety of earmarks in the $410 billion omnibus spending bill the House is poised to pass Wednesday to keep the government running through Oct. 1. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis were both House members when appropriators began to forge this legislation last year.”
Change we can believe in.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | February 25, 2009, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
I think it is a great idea to have independent oversight. I’m all for stimulus spending and I believe that our infrastructure needs urgent care – but a 79 mile electrical line? I am not down with the stimulus spending being used to upkeep our fossil fuel infrastructure!!!!! I hope the oversight uses the guidelines for infrastructure spending laid out in Thinking Big (I think it is a great idea to have independent oversight. I’m all for stimulus spending and I believe that our infrastructure needs urgent care – but a 79 mile electrical line? I am not down with the stimulus spending being used to upkeep our fossil fuel infrastructure!!!!! I hope the oversight uses the guidelines for infrastructure spending laid out in Thinking Big
Posted by: Investoid | February 25, 2009, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm
So Obama’s own cabinet are now asking for earmarks. I doubt anyone in America is surprised.
Well, maybe a handful of posters who get their daily DNC talking points, but that’s about it.
Posted by: Peach | February 25, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
“So Obama’s own cabinet are now asking for earmarks. I doubt anyone in America is surprised.”
2 members of Obama’s cabinet, before becoming so obviously, sent letters making their earmarks requests known.
That is part of the transparency ushered in by Obama and the Democrats.
One was Republican Ray Lahood who requested (per foxnews)
In LaHood’s case, the former Republican Illinois congressman wrote a March 19, 2008, letter asking Congress set aside funding to move the “Jacksonville bandstand” from one of the House office buildings to the National Museum of American History in Washington. LaHood also earmarked funds for police radio upgrades, agriculture research and equipment at a planetarium in Peoria, Ill.
The other was requested by Hilda Solis who wanted money for polic equipment in her district.
Did everyone see how Peach phrased it so that it appeared the requests were brand new?
Posted by: Ryan C | February 25, 2009, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
I love the title, sounds like “Biden: Your Blood is Flowing.” Which is what it sounds like to me, a 27-year-old graduate student with little future in a socialist state. You think I’ll pay my neighbor’s mortgage? Over my dead body!!
Posted by: Richard | February 26, 2009, 2:21 am 2:21 am