Recovery.gov Launched

Recovery.gov, the site the Obama administration promised would track the newly signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expenditures, went live just after the bill was signed into law.

Ars Technica:

Thus far, of course, there’s not much to watch…since funds have yet to be assigned to specific projects. A chart on the front page breaks down the broad spending categories into which federal dollars will flow, while a timeline gives the dates on which visitors can expect more information: initial funding reports from agencies start coming in on March 3, with detailed breakdowns due on May 15, and information on competitive grants and contracts showing up starting on the 20th. The site’s FAQ promises that this data will eventually be available in an exportable format, such as XML, enabling third-party sites to produce their own “mashups and gadgets.” (This may mark the first use of the word “mashup” on a White House site.)

For the moment, aside from the general spending breakdown, there’s the requisite “share your story” page where visitors can submit comments on how stimulus-funded projects are working (or failing to). There’s also a state-by-state map showing impressively precise estimates of the jobs stimulus spending is projected to create or save. (Previous estimates from the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors were rather more cautious, giving projected job-creation ranges that spanned a million jobs or more per year.)

RELATED: Crooks and Liars has the full text of Obama’s remarks in Denver at the signing (with 10 different pens) of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan.