Biden to oversee stimulus implementation

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will oversee the administration's implementation of its $787 billion economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama said Monday.

As part of that oversight, Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devanay was appointed to lead the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board to oversee the administration's implementation of the Recovery Act's provisions, Obama said during remarks before the nation's governors visiting the White House.

Biden will meet regularly with key members of Obama's Cabinet, governors and mayors to ensure their efforts to implement the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act are fast and efficient, the White House said. Biden will provide regular, public reports to the president on implementation and post his reports on Recovery.gov, a Web site that allows visitors track where the money from the stimulus package is going, the White House added.

"The fact that I am asking the vice president to personally lead this effort shows how important it is for our country and our future to get this right," Obama said.

Commenting on Devanay, Obama said, "I can't think of a more tenacious and efficient guardian of the hard-earned tax dollars the American people have entrusted us to wisely invest."