Policy

Tracking of "Stimulus" Spending Full of Reporting Errors

Spent, not spent, gathering dust ... What's the difference?

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MADISON — Remember the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?

Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars pumped into thousands of projects — from massive road construction programs to money for an electric oyster shell dispersal cart to water safety mascot costumes. The idea was to resurrect an economy buried in a deep recession.

But some four years later, a handful of the 6,921 total project awards to Wisconsin entities, about $4.069 billion-worth, appear to be sitting on the shelf.