The Stimulus
We continue to focus on executing our role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – also known as the “Stimulus Bill.” That’s one of the major elements of the ‘unprecedented’ workload I wrote about a few weeks ago, with $4.6 billion appropriated to us for Civil Works, another $2.9 billion in Military Programs, and $.8 billion more in our International and Interagency Services mission (providing technical assistance to non-Department of Defense (DoD) federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal nations, etc.).
Now that we’ve had a few months to get our arms around it, we’re really putting that money to good use as intended in the legislation. It’s great for jobs and the economy, and it’s really great for the nation’s infrastructure.
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We’ve already obligated 23 percent of the money for Civil Works projects, more than $1 billion! That’s going to fund some much-needed projects around the nation, like dredging to deepen navigation channels, critically needed operation and maintenance, and important environmental projects.
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On the Military Programs side of the house, we’ve obligated $221 million to begin to address a wide range of projects that will help to ensure that our servicemembers and their families are provided with the quality facilities, housing and care that they so richly deserve. And so far, our total International and Interagency Support Program obligations to date total $23.5 million.
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So you can see, we’re getting that stimulus money out there! These obligation numbers are increasing with every week – at a very fast pace! By the end of the year, we expect to have 2/3rds of our ARRA funds awarded.
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We’re moving quickly to get this money into the hands of the people who will create jobs, but we’re also moving efficiently to ensure that we make the best use of the taxpayer dollars we’ve been entrusted with in the Recovery Act. We’re “getting ‘er done” right!