rssPosts by Christopher Flavelle ProPublica
Six months of stimulus: Follow the money, if you can
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act celebrated its six-month anniversary this week. ProPublica looks back at six months of stimulus coverage and finds a mixed record on one key aspect of the package: how well the government has met its…
Talking with Earl Devaney, Stimulus watchdog
Earl Devaney is chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the independent agency created by Congress to monitor stimulus spending. It’s no easy job, but if anyone can do it, Devaney is a very good bet. He is the man who was Department of the Interior Inspector General when the infamous Sex, Drugs and Oil Leases scandal broke at the Minerals Management Service in Lakewood, Colorado, last year.
Obama administration redacts contract details for new recovery website
Back in July, a software company named Smartronix landed an $18 million contract to build a Web site where taxpayers could easily track billions in federal stimulus money. It was just another part of the Obama administration’s ongoing effort to bring transparency to stimulus spending, we were told. But it seems the drive for transparency doesn’t cover the contract itself.
