WASHINGTON (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden convened the first of what is expected to be a series of weekly stimulus plan implementation meetings Wednesday, saying it's critical to ensure that "the money that is spent is spent well."
The $787 billion package "is about creating and saving jobs now," Biden said. "We've got to make sure we hold as many people as possible accountable. (We need to) follow the money to make sure it's getting out there and is working."
Biden, who has been tasked with overseeing the distribution of stimulus funds, announced several fund disbursements, including $15 billion in Medicaid assistance and $10 billion to help make public housing more energy efficient.
Several Cabinet members attended the conference at the White House, including Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Former Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney, who has been tapped to head a new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, also attended.
The Transparency and Accountability Board was established by President Barack Obama to ensure that the stimulus package is spent in an open, efficient manner.
The "unprecedented spending" in the stimulus package, Obama said Monday, comes with an "unprecedented obligation" to avoid waste.
From CNN Politics
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Today is Ash Wednesday. I'm sure he went to Mass.
@ Matthew in Detroit, 4:08 pm –
".... the MONKEYS should have gotten it right the first time" ???!!!!! Are you trying to be a jerk?
Somehow Joe Biden in charge seems like a cruel joke to play on us. Joe is like that uncle Obama spoke about when he refered to Rev. Wright as one that you cringed when he opened his mouth because you never knew what he would say.
Not a lot of confidencein the man.
Joe, Joe, Joe....what I joke. "no body messes with Joe"....that was the a crazy comment. I'm surprised that Joe didn't jump up and start doing a few "rocky" moves. If Joe's so great, why did he jump up and say, "Hey Obama, the U.S. didn't invent the automobile!....it was Benz...not us. My 13 year old new that one.
I feel so good with these guys running the show.
Poor Joe. He doesn't know his ash from a hole in the ground.
Anne – you idiot he's Catholic and this just happens to be Ash Wednesday. I'm not Catholic but I know that! How uneducated you dems are.
Concerned in MA, Biden is not in charge of $1 trillion, but in charge of the oversight COMMITTEE (i.e., more than one person).would you prefer no disclosure like the prior admin? (i.e., the first $350B?)
Matthew, unfortunately, in Pres Obama's attempt at bipartisanship, more money was shifted to tax cuts instead of the infrastructure you prefer. Also, I think the Congressional Budget Office determined $$ spent on healthcare do provide some good "bang for the buck", so it is not necessarily bad (unless the CBO was wrong). It was not the best category, but it was close to infrastructure spending.
It is not a perfect bill and I saw that about $3B of the total was pork, or less than 1%. If the total of pork if off, please submit a source for a more accurate figure. Hope it works as planned because as a nation, we need some good news...and it will take some time to be effective.
Joe! You jollywell make sure that you bring the economically errin' CEOs to harsh justice. The treatment ought to be so shockingly stern that the CEOs will become continuously conditioned to comport in a congenial way.
For the non-religious, this is Ash Wednesday for Christians, hence the forehead mark.
For the non-educated, the bill DOES include more than the two dispersements listed here. I agree these two particular items are shoring up flagging federal programs, but this IS needed......it would cost a lot more if Medicaid fails, and a lot more if public housing is not at least a little energy efficient.
Try and look a little further past the typeface on the page at the underlying intention.
THANKS GOODNESS Joe Biden is in charge of this and not Sarah Palin.....WHEW!!!!!
Awesome Leadership team... Obama/Biden and the cabinet... unlike Bushy and Darth Vadar who only showed up at night or on Fox Noise Show
Biden is a true believer in God, and isn't afraid to show it in the face of the national public. Gotta love that man's honesty and integrity. Thanks for telling us like it is Joe!
and concerned in MA...You seriously think Bush was smarter than this guy? your judgment is seriously off. thank goodness nobody cares about your concerns.
Are you not supposed to wash your forehead after services or what?
Damn Joe, did you just finish a Clean Coal commercial??? or is that supposed to be a red dot on your forehead???
Anne February 25th, 2009 3:19 pm ET
He's got something on his forehead.
------------–
That's how some Catholics commemorate Ash Wednesday. Biden's a Catholic. Very upressive to declare your "faith" with a piece of charcoal on the forehead, isn't it? Now how about all those aborted fetuses that "Good Catholic" Biden apparently has no problem seeing tossed in the garbage. Go figure!
Anne, what he has on his forehead is ash. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for Catholics (such as Biden). It means he attended Mass this morning.
Matthew in Detroit: Putting money into pension plans means that people whose sole income is their pension do not default and go into foreclosure. Duh. Plus, much of the pension plans are invested into market funds, which means more liquidity in financial areas and should help the stock market. Making public housing more energy efficient is a jobs program. Funding Medicare and Medicaid not only helps those who desperately need those programs, it means jobs will not be cut, and more might be added back in. While I agree that Congress didn't put as much into specific infrastructure programs as I was hoping for, most of these will actually stimulate the economy.
Anne, I think that is a bruise from hitting his forehead everytime he gaffes.
biden convened a meeting ! ! ! Well, I guess he can now say he earns his "pay".
I think that's one of those Lent thingys...
The rich are dividing-up your future.
Anne, the "something on his forehead" is probably ashes. If the picture was taken this morning, today is Ash Wednesday.
Anne, what he has on his forehead is ash. It is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for Catholics (like Biden). It means he went to mass this morning.
Matthew: if you were one of the people facing foreclosure because your pension was based on financials which no longer exist, you'd be happy he was putting money in them! Also, every one of those programs, from Medicaid/Medicare to the VA needs the funding for STAFF - that means JOBS. Yes, I'd like to see more go into infrastructure, and more will, but it is a START.
@ Mathew, Detroit
People who are sick and not getting treatment generally contribute nothing to our economy, the GNP, etc., whereas those who receive treatment and then get and stay healthy do. I suppose in your world though, once you're sick and can't contribute, you should just die and get out of everyone else's way though, huh?
Think before you post.
For all the non-listening, non-thinking sheeple out there,,,,,where do you think the money to pay back all these "stimulus' packages is going to come from,,,,,hmmmmm????
You think we are hurting now??? Just wait until the bill comes due, so much for the "95% of Americans won't pay higher taxes (rather, will get a tax cut, as he said during the election). It will be a tax increase in some form, gas tax, road tax, VAT, sales tax or something, it might just not be an income tax so he can keep his "campaign promise".
The antichrist is sending this country to he!! in a handbasket in a big hurry, or at least the same way as the roman empire went. Well maybe he is not the antichrist, maybe he just has a piece of the spear of destiny like hitler had.
400K to study "bullying"? 200K for tattoo removing? on and on. It adds up to 10 billion worth of PORK. Where's the pork removal promise?
Anne – Just an FYI, the mark on his forehead is due to it being Ash Wednesday....