U.S. President Barack Obama says his economic recovery plan is producing results, 100 days after he signed it into law. The president Wednesday stressed job creation through renewable energy, as he visited a solar power facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
President Obama says his $787 billion economic stimulus plan is making a difference, less than four months after he signed it into law.
"One hundred days later, we are already seeing results," said President Obama.
The White House released a report Wednesday, saying the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created almost 150,000 jobs.
"…Jobs building solar panels and wind turbines, making homes and buildings more energy-efficient," said Mr. Obama. "They are the jobs of teachers and police officers and nurses who have not been laid off, as a consequence of this Recovery Act."
Mr. Obama spoke in the Western state of Nevada, the home state of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whom the president said was instrumental in pushing his recovery plan through Congress.
Although Mr. Obama trumpeted the progress made by his economic plan, he acknowledged that much more work remains ahead.
"But this is just the beginning," he said. "There are still too many Americans out of work, and too many who still worry that their job may be next. There are still too many families struggling to pay the bills and too many businesses struggling to keep their doors open."
The president used the occasion to campaign once again for more emphasis on developing alternative sources of energy, and creating jobs in the process. He spoke at what he called the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Obama said more than 200 people were put to work in building the 72,000 solar panels, which provide power to a U.S. Air Force base.
The president also announced that money from the recovery act will be used to encourage the development and use of energy from the sun and the earth's heat.
Mr. Obama said relying more on alternative energy will not only help revitalize the U.S. economy, but will enhance national security.
"We know the cost of our oil addiction all too well," said President Obama. "It is the cost measured by the billions of dollars we send to nations with unstable or unfriendly regimes. We helped to fund both sides of the war on terror because of our addiction of oil."
Much of the president's Western trip is focused on getting donations for the Democratic Party. Mr. Obama raised money for Senator Reid in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and another fundraising event was scheduled for Wednesday night in Los Angeles, California.
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