On Feb. 13, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I recently received a letter from Liz Kniss, the President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, outlining how federal Recovery Act funds have been instrumental in helping Santa Clara County save dozens of jobs, save vital benefits, and maintain the county’s budget. Overall Santa Clara County estimates that it has received, or is in line to receive, $159.8 million dollars in federal aid from the Recovery Act. I am proud that my vote nearly one year ago on the Recovery Act is having a positive impact on our community.

Simply put, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has enabled local and state governments across the country to maintain services when our community needs them. Because Santa Clara County received Recovery Act funds: sheriff’s deputies will continue to patrol our community; families who applied for food aid will receive it; unemployment checks will be in the mail; local surface streets will be paved; and uninsured working families will have access to basic health care. The Recovery Act was never intended to be a silver bullet, its goal was to act as a backstop against further economic decline.

Economists say that, theoretically, the recession is over. But the reality is that there are still millions of Americans looking for jobs and our economy still needs to fully rebound. We are working to move beyond the bulwark that the Recovery Act provided so we can begin growing our economy again.

Sincerely,

Zoe

Click here to read Supervisor Kniss’ letter and supporting attachment.

Click here for a fact sheet detailing Valley Transportation Authority’s use of Recovery Act Funds.