The projects must be shovel-ready to get people back to work immediately.

How many times were we using the phrase shovel-ready just two years ago?

So why is the Obama administration still standing in the way of this 'shovel-ready' project?

"I would have thought that we need to be in a position with shovel-ready projects," he said.

He realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works.

Investment in human capital is more important than shovel-ready projects.

"Here's the single largest shovel-ready project in America — ready to go."

Many so-called shovel-ready construction projects often weren't actually ready to go.

States and cities now are competing for their piece of the shovel-ready budget.

The idea that there are insufficient "shovel-ready" projects available is simply wrong.

This is as close to a shovel-ready project as you’re ever going to see.

"This shovel-ready project will also bring much-needed jobs to the area."

Then, we need to know more about how quickly a shovel-ready project once agreed can make a contribution to overall activity and growth.

This venture is the ideal shovel-ready project with over $50 million in funding.

Even then, the earliest construction on those shovel-ready projects can start will be September.

On Tuesday, the administration said despite the joke, the shovel-ready projects met the administration's goals.

Must be all those grave digging shovel-ready jobs on some other planet.

"This is one of our most important tools because it helps make problem properties shovel-ready."

I could have dug the darn thing myself, that's how shovel-ready we were.

Investments in so-called shovel-ready projects, such as road and bridge building, are just now getting under way.

The term everybody kept hearing was that the stimulus funds were for "shovel-ready" projects.

Much of the unspent $455.4 million had been committed to projects that were not shovel-ready.

As the president said, the shovel-ready projects didn't exist.

But state officials started submitting lists of shovel-ready projects to the federal government last month after the other 49 states had.

Second, investments should be directed to programs that are both "shovel-ready" and provide long-term benefits.