American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Facts for Kids

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, most commonly referred to as the stimulus bill or stimulus package, was a spending bill passed by the U.S. Congress in 2009. It was one of the early things Barack Obama did as president. Despite Obama trying to get Republicans as well as Democrats to vote for the bill, only three did. The bill did several things:

It gave more money to unemployed people (people with no jobs) for longer.
It cut taxes for workers, students, and the middle class
It gave more money to Medicaid
It gave money to improve roads and bridges in the U.S.
It gave millions of dollars to various government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts

It has taken awhile for the stimulus money to be used. Vice-President Joe Biden is one of the people in charge of making sure the money is used right.

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Official seal of Recovery.gov, the official site of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
President Barack Obama signs the ARRA into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden stands behind him.
President Barack Obama speaks about the 2,000th project approved through the ARRA. The president is joined by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
Composition of the Act: Tax incentives – includes $15 B for Infrastructure and Science, $61 B for Protecting the Vulnerable, $25 B for Education and Training and $22 B for Energy, so total funds are $126 B for Infrastructure and Science, $142 B for Protecting the Vulnerable, $78 B for Education and Training, and $65 B for Energy. State and Local Fiscal Relief – Prevents state and local cuts to health and education programs and state and local tax increases.
More than 11% of the total bill is allocated to help states with Medicaid
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg visit with students at Explore Charter School.
Payments to Social Security recipients and people on Supplemental Security Income were parts of the ARRA.
Road and highway construction is the biggest single line infrastructure item in the final bill. Projects funded by the ARRA have a sign marking them, like this one in Middletown, Rhode Island.
Sign for an ARRA funded road-widening project on State Highway 9 north of Breckenridge, Colorado.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) map showing the availability of broadband internet access in the U.S.
Loans and investments into green energy technology are a significant part of the final bill
NASA is among the government agencies receiving additional funds under the Act
President Obama in Ohio on March 6, 2009, for the graduation of the Columbus Police Division's 114th Class
President Barack Obama announces the creation of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board on February 6, 2009.
CBO estimates of the impact of the stimulus on GDP
Recovery.gov , the website created for this Act.
A recovery.gov plaque on public transport in Miami
Chart of BLS job-loss data based on OFA's chart.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden speak to state legislators about the implementation of the Recovery Act on March 20, 2009.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 facts for kids

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See also