http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06stimulus.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=allBy DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: February 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators worked furiously in backroom negotiations on Thursday to cut the cost of the roughly $900 billion economic stimulus plan. Senate Democratic leaders said they would await the outcome of those talks before calling for a final vote on the measure, perhaps on Friday.
Members of the bipartisan group, led by Senators Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, and Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said they wanted to trim provisions that would not quickly create jobs or encourage spending by consumers and businesses. They spent much of the day scrutinizing the 736-page bill and wrangling over what to cut.
By early evening, aides said the group had drafted a list of nearly $90 billion in cuts, including $40 billion in aid for states, $4.1 billion to make federal buildings energy efficient and $1.5 billion for broadband Internet service in rural areas. But they remained short of a deal, and talks were expected to go all night.
“We’re trying to focus it on spending that truly helps stimulate the economy,” Ms. Collins said. “People have different views on whether or not a program meets that test. So we’re continuing to talk. We get close, and then it drops back, and then we get close again.”
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