Lawmakers Say Stimulus Bill Expected to Pass Quickly

[Hope And Change]

Lawmakers Say Stimulus Bill Expected to Pass Quickly

By SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: February 8, 2009

With Congress wrangling over the details of the $800 billion-plus stimulus package, the Treasury Department said on Sunday that it would cede the political stage to those negotiations and delay until Tuesday the rollout of the Obama administration’s multibillion plan to assist the nation’s troubled banking system.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner had been scheduled on Monday to present the broad outlines on how his department would spend remaining $350 billion of the bailout funds approved last year by Congress. Instead, economic officials “will be working and consulting the senators throughout the day,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

“With record high job losses, and weakening economic forecasts, we’re focused on working with Congress to pass an economic recovery bill so we can create the jobs and make the investments necessary to get our economy moving again,” the statement said.

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Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who like other Republicans is arguing for more tax cuts and less government spending in the stimulus measure, said that Republicans would try to delay a vote on the Senate version of the bill for a few days, challenging Democratic plans for a Tuesday vote. But he said that he fully expected the measure to pass.

“It will pass this week, but we want some time to go through it,” he said, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “This is almost a trillion dollars. You don’t get do-overs with a trillion dollars.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/us/politics/09talkshows.html?_r=1&hp">Full article here

[jwirr]

1. Johnny how much time did you f...king leader give us to read his

bill when he took us into Iraq?

[Life Long Dem]

2. They'll try to drag it out past Feb. 16 when Obama wants it on his desk to sign.

[backscatter712]

3. Considering Reid already gave away the store, it'd better pass.

There's still plenty of time for Rethugs to get offended over some minor slight and get Snowe and Collins to turn against the bill.

They're clawing for something new to screech about - they're desperate to find some way to torpedo the stimulus.

[Fire1]

4. Which version? The original or the bullshit version?

[DCBob]

5. How can the Republicans effect a "delay for a few days"..

Supposedly the cloture vote will be Monday night then the final vote on Tuesday. At what point can they delay the proceedings?