Commentary

Shovel ready? Really?

Congressional Quarterly looks into how quickly federal agencies are spending stimulus money.

Surprisingly, the Department of Transportation which was expected to spend its stimulus allotment quickly on “shovel-ready” road and bridge projects, is lagging in fourth position. Of the $15 billion it has available, so far only $151.7 million has been paid out.

That is right. Three months into a process that was supposed to only take a few months, DOT has only found a home for 1% of the stimulus funds it has to spend. The fallacy continues to unfold and reveal itself to all who would not see it before.