Grading President Obama 100 Days After He Takes Office

By Amanda Ruggeri
When he launched his campaign for president, Barack Obama could not have foreseen that the signature accomplishment of his first 100 days in office would likely involve spending $787 billion on an economic stimulus package. But the effects of that piece of legislation--one heavy with both expenditures and expectations of economic recovery--may well determine Obama's success as president. Two and a half months after its passage, it's still early to evaluate the full ramifications of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the economy. But there are some promising signs. Paychecks are receiving bumps from the Making Work Pay tax credit, and one major pot of funds--$53.6 billion in aid to states, 82 percent of which must be used for education--started flowing when California received nearly $4 billion in mid-April. Government officials also have reported that many projects are costing them less than expected, as contractors, crunched for cash, compete fiercely for the work. Full Story