Congress Reaches Agreement on Economic Stimulus
Negotiators from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have reached agreement on a US$789 billion spending bill intended to improve the U.S. economy.
Several lawmakers announced the agreement Wednesday afternoon, just a day after the Senate had passed its $838 billion version of the stimulus package. The House passed a $819 billion stimulus package in late January.
Lawmakers didn't say immediately what had been cut from both versions of the bill to trim the bill down to $789 billion.
While nearly all congressional Republicans opposed the bill, it was time to act to keep the country from going into a deeper recession, said Senator Olympia Snowe, from Maine, one of only three Republican lawmakers who voted for the package. "The time has come to bring everyone together" for the good of the U.S. economy, she said during a televised press conference.
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