About one-third of the federal government's $787 billion economic stimulus has actually been spent over the last year. During the next year, much of the focus of the remainder will be on infrastructure projects.
Much of the first year's worth of stimulus spending was directed at social issues. Only about $20 billion was spent on infrastructure projects, which were mainly used to sell the stimulus idea.
"Infrastructure spending is set to step up in the second year of the stimulus program, which should mean more money flowing to private-sector employers. Still, economists say that won't likely have a big effect on the unemployment rate, which most say is likely to continue a slow decline as the broader economy recovers.
The shift could be significant politically, though, because Republicans have criticized the relative lack of private business hiring directly attributed to the stimulus."
Read the full story: Bulk of Stimulus Spending Yet to Come
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