by Scott Detrow
Public Radio Capitol News
(Harrisburg) -- Vice President Joe Biden says the $787-billion federal stimulus package is doing its job to turn the economy around.
During the Obama Administration’s heavy push for the measure in February, Biden visited a crumbling bridge in Carlisle, Cumberland County to press the need for infrastructure reform.
Construction on the span began today, and Biden returned with Governor Rendell and Senator Arlen Specter to promote the progress they say the legislation is making.
Biden says the stimulus is creating jobs, and circulating money through the economy.
"But it’s building a whole new foundation for crumbling infrastructure that has gone unattended for a long time, to the degree we think it should. We’ve made some good progress since that day in February, and this bridge and the workers here to fix it up are symbols of what we’re able to do."
Both Biden and Rendell said Specter’s support for the legislation was a critical part of its passage.
Specter was one of just three Republicans to vote “yes” on the stimulus.
That stance won him scorn from GOP hard-liners, and ultimately contributed to his decision to leave the party.
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About PRCN's - Scott Detrow
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- Scott Detrow covers state politics for Pennsylvania's public radio stations. Detrow came to the Capitol from WITF-FM, where he covered Central Pennsylvania news and anchored local "All Things Considered" segments. Much of his reporting focused on the 2008 presidential primary and general election. He also covered the Pennsylvania National Guard, and won a national Edward R. Murrow award for reports on the 56th Stryker Brigade's preparations for a 2009 deployment to Iraq. Detrow has also covered New York City politics for WFUV-FM, earning a distinction from the New York Press Club, and won a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a radio documentary on South Africa's AIDS pandemic in 2007. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Fordham University with degrees in political science and English.