Barack Obama · Democratic · Legislation
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus)
Feb 17, 2009
Barack ObamaTrade & EconomyLegislationFirst term (2009–13)
📜 View the official record on federalregister.gov
What happened
An ~$800 billion stimulus of tax cuts, infrastructure, aid to states and safety-net spending to fight the Great Recession.
How it happened
Passed early in the term with almost no Republican votes; signed February 17, 2009.
Documented impact
Positive impactsubstantiated
CBO credited it with millions of jobs and higher GDP.
CBO estimated it raised employment by up to ~3.6 million and GDP by 1.1–3.3% at peak (2010).
Negative impactcontested
Added to deficits and underwhelmed critics.
Opponents said the price tag worsened debt and that recovery stayed sluggish; some economists said it should have been larger/front-loaded.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: