Washington's cash cow is running on empty.

What happens when federal stimulus dollars are gone for good?  Will the jobs those dollars created also disappear?

Local economists said stimulus dollars were supposed to help state and local governments get through a tough economy, but those tough times aren't quite over.

Federal stimulus dollars created 418 jobs on the state level in Pennsylvania, but as the money-pumping economic program is ending, more than half of those jobs have been eliminated.

Locally, the program put 10 police officers on the streets in Allentown and three in Easton, which was also able to afford two new firefighters.

Those cities said they planned ahead and will keep the new jobs, but school districts like Reading and Allentown haven't been so lucky, losing many employees once the money dried out.

Local economists said the stimulus worked, to a degree.

"I think it's unfortunate that it is ending because I don't think we are really quiet over this recession," said Susan Averett, an economist at Lafayette College.

Without stimulus money, Averett said there will be fewer jobs and fewer personal dollars flowing into the economy. An extension, she said, wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"It has helped sort of smooth things out, but the private sector hasn't really rebounded," said Julie Smith, a macro-economist at Lafayette College.

While the economic recovery has been weak, Smith said it's doubtful the U.S. could sustain the $700 billion cash infusion.

"Going forward, there is going to have to be some sort of fiscal reform in the United States because we have a lot of promises to pay, especially in entitlements and especially in health care, that make it difficult for the federal government to continue with these stimulus dollars," said Smith.

Both economists said the future without stimulus dollars is uncertain but that a win for President Obama in November could mean a resurgence in some of his economic policies.