House Democrats Plan Second, $50B Economic Stimulus Package With Possible Funds for State Medicaid Programs

House Democrats are planning a second, $50 billion economic stimulus package that could include funds for state Medicaid programs, CongressDaily reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, "I would hope we could have about a $50 billion (package)," adding, "You have to look at what helps stimulate the economy without spending more money than you should because you weight the economy down by going deeper into debt." However, she did not provide details on when the House would consider a second stimulus package.

A spokesperson Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "We do plan to take up a second stimulus bill, but no final decisions have been reached about what it will look like," adding, "The House may act more quickly, (but) I don't expect that any final decisions will be made until September."

President Bush opposes a second stimulus package (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 7/18). According to the Christian Science Monitor, whether the second economic stimulus package "materializes is questionable" because of the opposition from Bush (Scherer, Christian Science Monitor, 7/21).