Much of it [$17 billion of the stimulus package spent to date] has followed a well-worn path to places that regularly collect a bigger share of federal grants and contracts, guided by formulas that have been in place for decades and leave little room for manipulation.However, an analysis of government accounting records by USA Today has found that counties that supported then-Senator Obama last year have received twice as much money per person from the federal economic stimulus package as those that voted for his rival, Republican Sen. John McCain.
"There's no politics at work when it comes to spending for the recovery," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says.
Jake Wiens, an investigator with the non-profit Project on Government Oversight, says it's too soon to draw meaningful conclusions about whether the type of aid in the stimulus favors Obama's constituents.
But, he says, "it will be important to pay close attention as the data come in to ensure that political favoritism plays no role."
We'll keep you posted...