An $825 billion economic stimulus bill advanced another step on Tuesday, as the US Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $365.6 billion portion of it as President Barack Obama met with Republican lawmakers in an attempt to broaden support. By a vote of 21-9, the committee sent the legislation to the full Senate to consider. A similar measure was approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee. A tax-cut component of the bill was still being worked on by the Senate Finance Committee. As the appropriations panel approved the bill, Obama huddled on Capitol Hill with Republicans, who have been pushing for more tax cuts and less spending in the legislation. The full House could begin debate on its version of the measure as early as Wednesday, while the Senate was mulling a weekend session to do the same. “Over the past two months more than 1 million jobs have been lost. We can expect similar job losses to continue if we fail to act,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye. Several Republicans on the committee complained that the measure, which aims to jump-start an economy in recession for more than a year, contained spending that would fail to produce jobs and was being rushed through Congress too quickly. “We are throwing money down the tubes,” Sen. Christopher Bond, a Missouri Republican, said, adding that the bill would fail to cure a credit crisis at the heart of the sick economy. Republicans agree that the stumbling economy needs a rescue package. But they complain the Democratic $550 billion spending proposal is excessive while their proposal to cut taxes by about $275 billion does not go far enough. “We're anxious to help him. We think the country needs a stimulus,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier on Tuesday on NBC's “Today Show.” A week after taking office, Obama faces an economic crisis that seems to worsen by the day. US consumer confidence slipped to a record low and major US companies are cutting tens of thousands of jobs as financial industry troubles continue to mount. The Democratic-led House and Senate are expected to approve the package by the middle of next month regardless of how many Republicans embrace it. But Republicans withheld offering amendments and instead are expected to do so once the bill is debated by the full Senate. Besides providing a massive injection of government spending into the ailing economy, the legislation written by Democrats, who control Congress, also would provide about $275 billion in tax cuts. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama wants to listen to Republicans as part of his vow to seek consensus and end traditional partisan gridlock. Obama's aides have said three-quarters of the proposed new spending, on health care, education and building new roads and bridges, would work its way into the economy within 18 months. The Democratic tax cut plan would direct benefits more toward lower-income workers, even those who do not pay income taxes, while the House Republicans are pushing an alternative that they say would help all taxpayers. White House aides have not ruled out Obama seeking addition funds to help the financial sector beyond the $700 billion approved by Congress last fall. But the bailout program is unpopular with both parties so any request for more money would be a tough sell.
