Official Stimulus Data Released

After months of speculation on the effectiveness of the stimulus, today the Administration released some of the first hard data related to the $787 billion spending package. CNN reports:

So far, 30,383 jobs have been created by companies that have gotten $2.2 billion worth of stimulus contracts directly from the federal government. That equates to $71,500 per job based on just the funds that have been distributed.

These firms have been awarded a total of $16 billion.

Stimulus-fueled job creation has become a very controversial issue. The White House has faced blistering attacks by Republicans, who contend that the recovery act has failed to live up to its promise to put Americans back to work.

The Obama administration downplayed the reports released Thursday, saying they represent just a small sliver of the stimulus that's been spent, since the massive recovery act was enacted in February. The first reports detailing the number of stimulus jobs created or saved were submitted last weekend by recipients of stimulus-funded contracts, grants and loans.