Acknowledging that Americans are “skeptical about the size and scale” of his $825 billion recovery plan, President Barack Obama launched Recovery.gov, a Website that will allow people to see how and where tax dollars are being spent once the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been passed by lawmakers.
The site is just another step in Obama’s aim to make the government as transparent as possible. “Because I firmly believe with Justice Brandeis that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and I know that restoring transparency is not only the surest way to achieve results, but also to earn back that trust in government without which we cannot deliver the changes the American people sent us here to make,” Obama said Wednesday after meeting with business leaders.
Reiterating comments he made over the weekend in his weekly address, Obama said, “I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan. I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my administration accountable. Instead of just throwing money at our problems, we’ll try something new in Washington –we’ll invest in what works. Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, and informed by independent experts whenever possible. ”
The site, which is not yet live, states to readers, “An oversight board will routinely update this site as part of an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in government.”
Deborah Creighton Skinner is the editorial director at BlackEnterprise.com