Obama Team Has Billions to Spend, but Few Ready to Do It

President Obama blasted through all sorts of speed records pushing a $787 billion economic plan through Congress, arguing it was too urgent to wait. But even after signing it into law Tuesday, he faces another problem: virtually no one is in place at his cabinet departments to actually spend a lot of the money. Three cabinet jobs remain unfilled, only 2 of the 15 cabinet departments have deputy secretaries confirmed, and the vast majority of lower-level political jobs remain vacant. The slowdown seems to stem both from the administration's sharpening its vetting process after losing several nominees and from Senate committees' taking more time to consider names that have been sent to Capitol Hill. As a result, the very departments charged with executing one of the largest spending projects in American history are operating largely with career stand-ins without the authority of political appointees. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, plans to send all agencies a 50-page memorandum on Wednesday detailing how the money should be used, another official said. The memorandum will spell out daily, weekly and monthly reporting requirements on stimulus spending and require complete spending plans by May 1, the official said. It will also give specific requirements for contracts, grants and loans and will direct agencies to track stimulus spending separately. The administration has identified an official in each agency responsible for making sure the stimulus money gets out the door quickly and efficiently.