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Obama Team Has Billions to Spend, but Few Ready to Do It
Colleagues,
As reported in the New York Times...The Obama team faces a challenge. As of yesterday, they have the money, but not necessarily the people to execute the vastly expanded programs, see Peter Baker's take on the situation...
President Obama blasted through all sorts of speed records pushing a $787 billion economic plan through Congress, arguing it was too urgent to wait. But even after signing it into law Tuesday, he faces another problem: virtually no one is in place at his cabinet departments to actually spend a lot of the money.
The once efficient Obama transition has ground to a near standstill after tax problems bedeviled several of his nominees, leaving the top echelon of his government largely unassembled. Three cabinet jobs remain unfilled, only 2 of the 15 cabinet departments have deputy secretaries confirmed, and the vast majority of lower-level political jobs remain vacant.
White House officials are concerned about the problem and are working to make sure they are the ones setting direction. “We’re having meetings about that right now,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff.
Mr. Emanuel and other aides said they were determined to make sure personnel gaps did not slow spending. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, plans to send all agencies a 50-page memorandum on Wednesday detailing how the money should be used, another official said.
The memorandum will spell out daily, weekly and monthly reporting requirements on stimulus spending and require complete spending plans by May 1, the official said. It will also give specific requirements for contracts, grants and loans and will direct agencies to track stimulus spending separately...Officials estimate that about $180 billion will be spent at the discretion of government officials.
Read on at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/18cabinet.html?_r=1&th&...
ENJOY!
CC
As reported in the New York Times...The Obama team faces a challenge. As of yesterday, they have the money, but not necessarily the people to execute the vastly expanded programs, see Peter Baker's take on the situation...
President Obama blasted through all sorts of speed records pushing a $787 billion economic plan through Congress, arguing it was too urgent to wait. But even after signing it into law Tuesday, he faces another problem: virtually no one is in place at his cabinet departments to actually spend a lot of the money.
The once efficient Obama transition has ground to a near standstill after tax problems bedeviled several of his nominees, leaving the top echelon of his government largely unassembled. Three cabinet jobs remain unfilled, only 2 of the 15 cabinet departments have deputy secretaries confirmed, and the vast majority of lower-level political jobs remain vacant.
White House officials are concerned about the problem and are working to make sure they are the ones setting direction. “We’re having meetings about that right now,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff.
Mr. Emanuel and other aides said they were determined to make sure personnel gaps did not slow spending. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, plans to send all agencies a 50-page memorandum on Wednesday detailing how the money should be used, another official said.
The memorandum will spell out daily, weekly and monthly reporting requirements on stimulus spending and require complete spending plans by May 1, the official said. It will also give specific requirements for contracts, grants and loans and will direct agencies to track stimulus spending separately...Officials estimate that about $180 billion will be spent at the discretion of government officials.
Read on at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/18cabinet.html?_r=1&th&...
ENJOY!
CC
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