American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)

Overview

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression, and includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

Implementing the Recovery Act

Transportation is a great enabler of economic growth, the lifeblood of commerce. It moves people to jobs and goods to the marketplace. Without strong transportation arteries, economies stagnate. We will use the transportation funding in the Act to deliver jobs and restore our nation's economy. We will emphasize sustainable investment and focus our policies on the people, businesses and communities who use the transportation systems. And, we will focus on the quality of our environment. We will invest in jobs to expand transit capacity and modernize transit systems. We will invest in jobs to allow Amtrak to add and modernize cars and engines and upgrade its tracks. We will invest in jobs to expand airport capacity and make safety improvements. We will invest in jobs to build and rehabilitate and make safer roads, highways, bridges and ports. And we will invest in jobs to launch high-speed rail in America.