The economy is up 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, thanks in large part to government subsidies for car and home buying. Otherwise, the impact of the stimulus has been muted, says The Washington Times.
Sung Won Sohn, economics professor at California State University Channel Islands, says that these programs have brought the recession to an end.
"The "cash for clunkers" trade-in program for gas-guzzlers inspired a 22.3 percent surge in purchases of big-ticket goods - primarily autos - while the department said the ramping up of auto production to meet demand for new fuel-efficient cars accounted for 1.66 percentage points, or nearly half, of the growth registered during the July-September quarter."
Read the full story: Economic growth boosted by small U.S. programs
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
After decades of planning, Sacramento gains new light rail station
Trains will arrive every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours.
Massive tunnel-boring machine breaks ground on Gateway Project
The Trump administration revoked funding for the project in October 2025, and then restored it earlier this year.
Airo trainsets begin service on Amtrak Cascades route
The trains feature panoramic windows, complementary wifi and over 300 seats per train set.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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