WASHINGTON — The White House asserted Wednesday that the $862 billion stimulus law has been even better for the economically-struggling country than previously advertised.

Updating its estimate of the impact the controversial new law has had, the White House now projects that the vast spending act has created or saved between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs.

That’s up from the estimate of 2.2 million to 2.8 million jobs that was released in the first quarter of the year from the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The new estimate says the act is on track, if it hasn’t already reached, the promise that the stimulus act would save or create 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010.