If you haven't yet, check out our package on TxDot's stimulus spending. This is our first effort at trying to get a better understanding of what's going to be coming to Texas from the federal government -- and how state and local officials are going to spend it.

We're planning on rolling out a series of stories following the money that's pouring into the Lone Star State from the stimulus bill. Watch for upcoming Texas Watchdog featured reports taking a deeper look at education spending and energy spending.

With your help, hopefully we can make some sense of the eye-popping amount of cash that's being spent -- and whether it's truly stimulus, or good, old-fashioned pork-barrel politics.

This is additionally important because the debate over how much money the federal government -- and therefore, how much power it might take from local government because of this influx of cash -- is not going away. Indeed, Texas Gov. Rick Perry made national news today by endorsing a state resolution affirming Texas' sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.

Perry, quoted in The Atlantic today:

"I'm here today to offer my unwavering support to ... millions of Texans just like yourself that are tired of Washington, D.C. trying to come down here and tell us how to run Texas."

Below is the press release Texas Watchdog sent out today about our TxDOT stimulus interactive map and searchable county-by-county database. If you want to sign up for our press releases, shoot me an e-mail at trent@texaswatchdog.org.

Texas Watchdog Unveils Roadmap to TxDOT stimulus spending

This is a first in a series of examinations of the federal stimulus money being spent by state and local officials.

Houston, TX. April 14, 2009 - Texas Watchdog has published an interactive map and a searchable county-by county database of the Texas Department of Transportation's use of the federal stimulus cash.

This is the first in a series of reports examining how state and local governments are spending the federal stimulus money -- and making that spending much more transparent for Texas citizens.

Today's report highlights road projects including:

-- $100 million toward a NAFTA superhighway running through rural south Texas.
-- $11.7 million to repair U.S. 287 southeast of Amarillo.
-- $36.5 million to build a toll road in Cameron County connecting U.S. 77 with the Port of Brownsville.

"The sheer amount of federal dollars pouring into the state is downright overwhelming," said Texas Watchdog Editor Trent Seibert. "That's why Texas Watchdog plans to follow the money from the federal tax coffers all the way to the local projects."

Please alert Texas Watchdog and your local news organizations if you see pork, mismanagement or waste in connection with these projects.

Click here to go to an interactive map charting TxDOT spending per capita by Texas county.

Click here to search the database of projects.

Click here to go directly to the story.

Click here for the Texas Watchdog main page.

For more information contact:
Trent Seibert at 713-980-9776 or at trent@texaswatchdog.org
Jennifer Peebles at 713-980-9778 or at jennifer@texaswatchdog.org

About Texas Watchdog
Texas Watchdog is a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas. It is an independent, nonpartisan entity founded on the belief that our American democracy depends on transparency in government.