WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday rallied the people he is counting on to help turn around the economy and warned anew that he will not tolerate wasteful spending of his $787 billion economic stimulus package.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday rallied the people he is counting on to help turn around the economy and warned anew that he will not tolerate wasteful spending of his $787 billion economic stimulus package.
“If we see money being misspent, we’re going to put a stop to it,” Obama told a gathering of state officials.
Vice President Joe Biden, who is coordinating oversight of stimulus spending, opened the conference with an equally stern warning.
“Six months from now, if the verdict on this effort is that we’ve wasted the money, we built things that were unnecessary or we’ve done things that are legal but make no sense, then, folks, don’t look for any help from the federal government for a long while,” he said.
State officials who are working on stimulus spending were invited for a day of schooling on how to make the massive spending program work, to hear from and question Cabinet secretaries and other administration officials, and to propose and discuss ideas.
About 125 people from 49 states filled an auditorium with theaterstyle seating in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. Idaho was unable to send a representative.
Obama mixed stern language with a pep talk for the state officials he is depending on to help implement the stimulus, which he says will save or create 3.5 million jobs this year and next through investment in infrastructure, energy, schools and other spending.
“All of you are at the front lines of what is probably the most important task that we have in this country over the next couple of years, and that’s getting the economy started again,” Obama said during his brief appearance.
The audience gasped when he entered the room.
At the same time, Obama stressed the need to “make sure that every single dollar is well spent.”
If wasteful spending is found, “We will call it out, and we will publicize it,” he said, reiterating what he has already told governors and mayors.
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