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President Obama has signed the first and what is likely to be one of the most important pieces of legislation that will come across his desk during his presidency.
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Not everyone agrees that spending so much is a good idea
As he signed the $787bn economic stimulus package, the president said there would be an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability for the money spent, but he said it was not an instant cure for America's economic woes.
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He compared the signing to another significant milestone in American history.
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The stimulus package is now law, but the economic arguments will continue.
Tad DeHaven is a budget analyst at the conservative Cato Institute in Washington.
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How will the new bill play with the American public? Do they feel economically stimulated?
The World Today's Max Pearson spoke to Max Singer, a student in New York and to Harold Boyd, a teacher in Spotsylvania, Virginia.
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First broadcast 17-18 February 2009
