For the last several weeks, the question of whether Build America Bonds would continue to be issued has been about as predictable as the chances that your plane will land on time. Although the Obama administration has wanted to continue their use, new issuance of the taxable bonds is set to end on a December 31, 2010 deadline.

You may have noticed that the figure used for total Recovery Act spending has metamorphosed from the $787 billion reported last year to $862 billion in reports this year. Why the change? The increased price tag comes from greater-than-anticipated spending in three areas of the stimulus  that are open-ended: Higher unemployment has led to an additional $21 billion spent on unemployment benefits; Food stamps are costing $34 billion more than estimated and the Build America Bond program cost estimates have increased by $26 billion.