Stimulus report gives something extra to R.I.
7:02 AM Mon, Nov 23, 2009 | Permalink
Email this author | Email this entry |
 |
Projo Politics Blog |
|
« NOW endorses Dennigan in run for R.I.'s Second District |
Main
| Tougher DUI bill is RI law; Lawmakers pledge renewed effort to rid roads of distracted drivers »
By Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau Someone may have awarded Little Rhody three new Congressional districts while we weren't looking. We thought there were just two until last week, when we surfed over to Recovery.gov, the Obama administration's Web site that tracks federal stimulus spending. More than $662 million has been awarded to Congressional Districts 1 and 2, creating or saving 1,954 jobs so far, according to figures posted for most of the week. That's clear enough. But there was more. More than $10 million was earmarked for the 86th Congressional District, which has apparently already seen the creation (or salvation) of 57.9 jobs. And the feds didn't ignore District 5 ($1.3 million) or District 00 ($336,000) either. We weren't sure who to call to clarify the confusion. "We do not know who represents the 86th and 5th Congressional Districts," Governor Carcieri spokeswoman Amy Kempe told Political Scene with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, I don't have those phone numbers for you." The phantom districts here and elsewhere were part of a national embarrassment for the Obama administration that was ultimately attributed to a glitch in the reporting system. Virtually all data on the site are posted by grant recipients, which range from state governments to universities to private contractors. The Obama Administration's Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, at the direction of the Office of Management and Budget, investigated and adjusted the figures for several states late in the week. Congressional District 5 was actually a company headquartered in Massachusetts' 5th District doing work in Rhode Island, according to the governor's office. District 00 represents money entered by the state reflecting crime victim compensation funding and a security grant. And 86 "appears to be the Providence Housing Authority," Kempe told Political Scene. 
CommentsLeave a comment |
New comments
New photos
New posts
Projo blogs
Archives
If millions of dollars are said to have been distributed to congressional districts across the country that don't exist, where did that money actually go?
Report Abuse
If millions of dollars are said to have been distributed to congressional districts across the country that don't exist, where did that money actually go?
Report Abuse