Recovery.gov will be an interagency effort

President Obama hopes Recovery.gov will help alleviate public skepticism about the economic stimulus plan. ( Charles Dharapak/AP )

A new federal Web site allowing citizens to track by geographic location how government spends the funds in the stimulus package likely will involve multiple agencies.

"This will increase transparency and accountability," said a White House spokesman, referring to the Web site, Recovery.com. "The American public will be able to go online and search where stimulus money is going, local or statewide." While details are not final, the Treasury Department likely will play a role in the initiative, he said. A source in the Office of Management and Budget confirmed that OMB will support some initial Web site capabilities and data collection processes, and said the design will be fashioned after USAspending.gov , which provides the public access to government contract, grant and other award data.

Recovery.gov, officially announced by President Barack Obama on Jan. 24 in his online weekly address , will launch after Congress passes the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. Democrats and Republicans are hashing out the details on Capitol Hill now, and the bill is expected to become law in February.

Currently, the landing page for Recovery.gov includes a general description of its goal, stating that "an oversight board will routinely update this site as part of an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency and unnecessary spending in our government." Membership of the oversight board is still under way, said the White House spokesman, along with the method for collecting and updating content for the site.

Obama proposed on Jan. 8 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which he estimated will save or create at least 3 million jobs. The plan includes developing a new electricity grid to expand alternative sources of energy nationwide, standardizing electronic health records, establishing better communications network for local law enforcement and public safety officials, and expanding broadband access. Recovery.gov will track spending on all the initiatives included in the stimulus package.

"I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan," Obama said during a briefing on Wednesday, after a meeting with corporate chief executive officers. "I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my administration accountable for these results. ... Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, and informed by independent experts whenever possible."

Obama added: "I firmly believe with Justice [Louis] Brandeis that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and I know that restoring transparency is not only the surest way to achieve results, but also to earn back that trust in government without which we cannot deliver the changes the American people sent us here to make."