Distressed states claim cash fastest

USA Today reports:

Stimulus money is flowing far more slowly to some states than others, a USA TODAY analysis shows, despite the Obama administration's push to speed up spending to help jump-start the nation's economy.

Nearly six months after President Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill, some states, such as California, have collected more than half of the money that's been promised to them so far. Ten others, such as Alaska, New Hampshire and Wyoming, have been paid less than a quarter, the review of federal spending reports shows.

How quickly states draw on their stimulus funds depends largely on state actions and needs, said Ed DeSeve, Obama's senior adviser on the stimulus. The administration has pushed states to spend some of that aid more quickly.

"Just as we push ourselves to get the money to the states quickly, we are urging the states to push the funds out quickly," says Education Department spokeswoman Sandra Abrevaya.