Senate Begins Debate on Economic Stimulus Package; Lawmakers Offer Amendments

The Senate on Monday began debate on an almost $900 billion economic stimulus package, and lawmakers offered amendments related to provisions on health care and other areas, McClatchy/Kansas City Star reports. According to McClatchy/Star, the bill "could look dramatically different by week's end" (Lightman/Talev, McClatchy/Kansas City Star, 2/2).

Among the other proposed changes, Senate Democrats called for the removal of a provision that would allocate $400 million to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections and $75 million for smoking cessation programs (Rubin/Schatz, CQ Today, 2/2). "Such changes, if accepted, could win support for the plan from conservative Democrats," as well as Republicans, because both groups "want to keep the program focused on short-term job creation," the Los Angeles Times reports (Hook/Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 2/3).

The House last week passed a different version of the stimulus package without any Republican support, but Senate Republicans hope that they can change the package to allow their support (AP/Contra Costa Times, 2/2). According to the Times, the House version of the stimulus package is "more generous" to recently unemployed workers and "provides more far-reaching expansion of health insurance coverage" through COBRA and Medicaid, and critics maintain that "those changes amount to a back-door effort to expand federal health coverage" (Los Angeles Times, 2/3).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hopes that the Senate can pass the stimulus package by the end of the week, "giving House-Senate negotiators the week to put together a compromise version and get it cleared before the Presidents Day break," CQ Today reports (CQ Today, 2/2).

Obama Calls for Passage
President Obama on Monday held meetings with Democratic congressional leaders and launched a "major public relations offensive" in an effort to "regain control of the stimulus debate," CongressDaily reports (Condon, CongressDaily, 2/3). Obama said that the "very modest differences" between Republicans and Democrats over the stimulus package should not delay passage of the legislation (Hurst, Miami Herald, 2/2).

According to the Washington Post, "two Democratic sources with knowledge" of the meeting "said the president took a blunt tone with the lawmakers, urging them to drop whatever needs to be cut from the bill to gain bipartisan support and to pass Congress soon" (Shear/Murray, Washington Post, 2/3). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reid both told Obama that they expect to pass a final stimulus package by mid-February, according to aides (CongressDaily, 2/3).

Lobbyists Seek To Add Expensive Provisions
Lobbyists for interests groups such as the pharmaceutical industry have sought to add expensive provisions to the Senate version of the economic stimulus package, the Wall Street Journal reports. Among other provisions, the pharmaceutical industry has sought to add a measure that would allow companies to repatriate profits at lower tax rates. "Together, the competing lobbying efforts are likely to drive up the overall cost of the stimulus package," which has "swelled" to about $885 billion currently, the Journal reports (Mullins/Williamson, Wall Street Journal, 2/3).

Most U.S. Adults Support Passage of Stimulus Package
Most U.S. adults (83%) support the passage of an economic stimulus package, according to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, USA Today reports. The poll, conducted Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, included responses from 1,027 adults. According to the poll, those in support of Congress passing the plan were divided over how quickly it will help their families and turn the economy around, while others were divided over whether Obama's stimulus plan should undergo major changes (Page, USA Today, 2/3).