Are We Ready to Spend the Stimulus?

As the stimulus bill nears its final vote, government agencies are kicking into motion, preparing themselves to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars into public works. But the Wall Street Journal reports that some calcified corners of Washington's bureaucracy may not be prepared for the colossal influx of cash. The Energy Department is set to receive some $40 billion in stimulus dough, and Obama's energy secretary, Steven Chu, says his department needs organizational overhaul, "otherwise it's just going to be bust." At issue is the Energy Department's history of mismanagement and delay. Chu will need to push a long backlog of DOE projects into action while restructuring the agency's processes from top to bottom to ensure efficiency and oversight.