How Far Over Budget Will They Go? Cash For Clunkers Backlog Continues To Pile Up As Funds Dwindle

Auto dealers now have until 8 p.m. today to enter cash-for-clunkers deals into a federal computer system, after crashes kept many dealers from entering transactions by last night's deadline.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said as of this morning 665,000 deals had been entered, for claims totaling $2.77 billion. That would mean about $130 million remains of the $3 billion set aside for the program, after $100 million the government expects to spend overseeing the program.

After thousands of dealers complained of being unable to enter deals before Monday's 8 p.m. deadline, federal officials said the system would not be fully functional until today, and that dealers would be given additional time to submit papers.

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