Title: Which States Squandered Their Stimulus Money?
Headings: Which States Squandered Their Stimulus Money?
Which States Squandered Their Stimulus Money?
David A. Graham
Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

Content: Which States Squandered Their Stimulus Money? Which States Squandered Their Stimulus Money? In 2009, the federal government gave nearly $30 billion to states for transportation projects, hoping to juice employment. Newsweek’s David A. Graham reports on how many states may have wasted that money—and why they might do it again. David A. Graham
Updated Jul. 13, 2017 12:40PM ET
/
Published Feb. 03, 2011 5:36PM ET
Mandel Ngan / Getty Images
Tucked into the stimulus package signed into law two years ago was a $30 billion wallop aimed directly at jump-starting the jobs market. The funds were designated for infrastructure spending and handed over to the states. Injecting money into transportation projects, the thinking goes, is an especially potent jobs-creation tool because it not only puts construction workers and contractors to work quickly, it also lays the groundwork for future economic growth and development. Obama predicted the transportation money alone would put hundreds of thousands of workers on the job. It was a nice idea. Today the unemployment rate is hovering above 9 percent—better than it would have been without the stimulus, most experts agree, but still painfully high.