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  • Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gregoire�s statement on signing of national economic recovery package

For Immediate Release: February 17, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire issued the following statement today on the federal economic recovery bill signed into law by President Barack Obama:

�I want to thank the Congress and President Obama for quickly passing and signing into law the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The president�s recovery package is not a cure-all for our economy or our state budget shortfall, but it does put Washington a step closer to recovery by helping us to provide critically important help to our citizens as the economic picture continues to worsen.

�I am pleased to see that our values in Washington state aligned so well with our partners in Washington, D.C. The single largest portion of money in the package is for education, one of my highest priorities. The only way we will come out of this recession competitive and ready to grow is to keep our education system strong.

�I particularly appreciate the accountability measures included in the recovery package. We must ensure that the money provided by the federal government is going to the right projects and is used in the right way to help our residents and our economy. I have issued an executive order, and will launch a new page on my Web site, to ensure transparency and accountability as federal funds are distributed in the state.�



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