From President Obama 20-Feb-2009
During a speech to mayors from across the country at the White House today, Mr. Obama said the money must be spent with "unprecedented responsibility and accountability" to avoid "waste, inefficiency, or fraud."
"The American people are watching," the president said. "They need this plan to work."
Mr. Obama also said he is assigning staff to ensure that "every dollar" is spent wisely.
"I want to be clear about this: we cannot tolerate business as usual, not in Washington, not in our State Capitols, not in America's cities and towns," he said. "We will use the new tools that the Recovery Act gives us to watch the taxpayers' money with more rigor and transparency than ever. If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it, and put a stop to it."
