Vice President Biden gave a mini media tour to defend the $787 billion stimulus package on its first anniversary -- while saying the country is in "deep trouble."
In a USA Today
op-ed, Biden touted jobs created, taxes cut and infrastructure projects started because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "The best is yet to come," he added.
We've gotten the act moving ahead of schedule, and most projects are coming in under budget. A tough, independent group of inspectors general is on the lookout for fraud, and we've killed scores of projects that don't pass muster. Your tax dollars are being used wisely and quickly to turn the economy around.
Americans know this downturn isn't over yet -- we have a long way to go before we are over the economic chasm left by the Great Recession. Year Two of the Recovery Act will build on the successes of Year One, continuing to generate jobs while seeding the transformative investments needed to ensure that our economy remains the world's strongest.
On CBS's "The Early Show," Biden said he understood why people were angry. "We get it," he said. But he said the White House was doing better than Congress.
"Washington, right now, is broken. I don't ever recall a time in my career where to get anything done, you needed a supermajority, 60 out of 100 senators."
"I've never seen it this dysfunctional," he said.