In a swift victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House approved a historically huge $819 billion stimulus bill Wednesday night, filled with new spending and tax cuts at the core of the young administration’s revival plan for the desperately ailing economy.
The final vote was 244-188, mostly along party lines as expected.
The legislation includes an estimated $544 billion in federal spending and $275 billion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses. It includes money for highway construction and mass transit.
The Senate is working on a costlier version of the bill.
Democratic congressional leaders practically declared victory Wednesday afternoon – ahead of the vote.
The massive recovery package has stirred consternation among Republicans who say their ideas are not being adequately considered. But Democrats have a comfortable majority in the House and stressed that fact in a talk with reporters.
Republicans had fought the bill as wasteful and insisted before the vote that their own plan, focusing on tax relief, would create twice as many new jobs — 6.2 million — as the plan Obama is pushing, while costing about half as much.
But the House defeated their plan Wednesday with a vote of 286-170.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said Republicans remain “disappointed” in the stimulus plan coming to a vote. He says it includes a “lot of wasteful spending that won’t create jobs.”
(Source: CBS / Fox News / NBC)
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8 Responses
Kudos to 12 House Democrats who voted against the bill
Congrads, the House just gave 4 BILLION DOLLARS to ACORN! Remember them???? Look who is coming home to roost now!
Just think….
When Obama’s Stimulus plan came up for a vote there was “BI-PARTISAN OPPOSITION”!!!
Not one Republican Voted for it…..
And ELEVEN Democrats voted AGAINST IT!!!
Now THAT’S Bi-Partisanship we can believe in!!
From the Telegraph (UK)
President Barack Obama got the $825 (or $1.2 trillion over a decade) stimulus package through the House of Representatives but the 244 to 188 vote is a hollow victory indeed. Without a single Republican voting for the bill, his high-profile visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday came to exactly naught – at least on the House side.
Obama vowed to change Washington and usher in a new post-partisan era. The the mood music and optics were pitch perfect as he trekked up to the Hill. Republicans praised his gesture, welcomed his sincere demeanour and appreciated his willingness to listen.
Problem was, he wanted only to listen and did not want to act on what Republicans said. When he was asked if he would re-structure the package to include more tax cuts, he reportedly responded: “Feel free to whack me over the head because I probably will not compromise on that part.”
Time for the people to read Rush’s option to the package. Good luck to all.
When will the democrats even attempt to explain their position? If the Republicans have a plan that costs half as much, and creates more jobs, what’s the Dems response?
What’s their response to 20+mil spent on sod for the capitol mall?
Does any dems out there care to explain any of this?
I I honestly want to know is there a side I’m not understanding, or are they all just cooku for cocoa puffs?
i think it is really stupid for obama to use the rest of the money…if you took the origianl $700 billion and split it between all the families in america each family would have gotten between $7,000 and $10,000 (est. 80 million families) even now with $544 billion that means that each family would get between $6,000 to $8,000 (and it would be put to a lot better use then in CEO’s pockets or on spas).
even if the goverment had wanted to give it to buisness they could have gave 1 million small buisnesses originally $700,000 (now $544,000) or 500,000 small buisness originally $1,400,000 (now ($1,088,000) (rather than to a few big banks which just use it to buy more banks rather than lend the money out).
I am sorry Barack, pork is not kosher.
Was this printed straight from the AP? (formerly Associated Press; now, Appalling Party-line).
How can you say “mostly along party lines”? ALL Republicans voted AGAINST it; even 11 (or 12) Democrats stood up for sanity and voted against it.
That should have been the headline item: that despite undoubted pressures from Obama’s gang – who play hardball all the time – everyone of the Republicans stood fast and voted against this mother of all porkbarrels. And even 11 or 12 Democrats! That takes guts!
Hakorat Hatov!
All of you reading this should take the time to e-mail, or telephone, your Representative, to thank him/her if Republican (or one of the few courageous Dems), or reproach him/her for this mother of all porkbarrels!