While floor debate on President Obama's economic stimulus measure proceeds amendment by amendment in the Senate, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced today that the House will be in session Monday to begin work on a joint House/Senate Conference Committee version of the legislation. Speaker Pelosi says the bill is still on track to reach the Oval Office before Valentine's Day.
Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine will be offering a bipartisan amendment aimed at stripping non-stimulative appropriations out of the spending side of the bill, such as Interior Department and Agriculture Department new computers, along with funds for HIV screening, wildlife management and NASA. As it stood late Wednesday afternoon February 3, the cost of the Senate version of the measure exceeded $900 billion. The major additions approved thus far have been an $11 billion tax credit for car purchasers, and $6.5 billion for National Institutes of Health research projects.
Senators Patty Murray and Diane Feinstein are preparing another attempt to increase spending for construction by $13 billion for highways, $7 billion for water and sewer construction, and $5 billion for transit construction, to be offset by cuts in other programs.
Senator Charles Schumer wants an even bigger increase for transit funding, of $6.5 billion rather than the $5 billion Feinstein and Murray will propose.
Domestic steel mills are fighting to keep the "buy American" requirements for construction steel in the measure, while other interest are assuring trading partners the protectionist requirements will not exceed those already in existence in general Congressional appropriation measures.
Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia will offer a proposal to double the home buyer tax credit from $7,500 up to $15,000, and remove the restriction to first time buyers, at a cost of $20 billion.
President Obama, at a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon, urged key Senators not to "make the perfect the enemy of the essential" in finalizing the measure, and remarked that the recession will turn into "a catastrophe" if legislation is not on his desk before Presidents' Day.
Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine will be offering a bipartisan amendment aimed at stripping non-stimulative appropriations out of the spending side of the bill, such as Interior Department and Agriculture Department new computers, along with funds for HIV screening, wildlife management and NASA. As it stood late Wednesday afternoon February 3, the cost of the Senate version of the measure exceeded $900 billion. The major additions approved thus far have been an $11 billion tax credit for car purchasers, and $6.5 billion for National Institutes of Health research projects.
Senators Patty Murray and Diane Feinstein are preparing another attempt to increase spending for construction by $13 billion for highways, $7 billion for water and sewer construction, and $5 billion for transit construction, to be offset by cuts in other programs.
Senator Charles Schumer wants an even bigger increase for transit funding, of $6.5 billion rather than the $5 billion Feinstein and Murray will propose.
Domestic steel mills are fighting to keep the "buy American" requirements for construction steel in the measure, while other interest are assuring trading partners the protectionist requirements will not exceed those already in existence in general Congressional appropriation measures.
Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia will offer a proposal to double the home buyer tax credit from $7,500 up to $15,000, and remove the restriction to first time buyers, at a cost of $20 billion.
President Obama, at a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon, urged key Senators not to "make the perfect the enemy of the essential" in finalizing the measure, and remarked that the recession will turn into "a catastrophe" if legislation is not on his desk before Presidents' Day.
