Back from his overseas trip, President Obama returns his focus to health care reform and the stimulus package, as the two issues face mounting criticism.
In an op-ed in the Washington Post Sunday, the president defended his $787 billion stimulus plan from concerns and accusations criticism that it has been ineffective, asking Americans to be patient.
“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall,” Obama wrote. “So far, it has done that. It was, from the start, a two-year program, and it will steadily save and create jobs as it ramps up over this summer and fall.”
Administration officials point to the roughly $100 billion that has been invested into infrastructure projects and tax cuts, and say that the bulk of the stimulus spending will occur in the next 12 months.
But some Republicans say the stimulus plan has failed to work the way it was intended.
There is also the issue of expectations. Asked by ABC News how the American people should measure whether his economic plans are correct, the president said “my initial measure of success is creating or saving 4 million jobs.” Read More EMR Stimulus Package