Senate Passes Stimulus Bill

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2009 12:02 PM CST
Senate Passes Stimulus Bill
President Barack Obama holds a town hall style meeting about the economic stimulus package, Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, at Concord Community High School in Elkhart, Ind.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The Senate passed its version of the $838 billion stimulus bill today, in a 61-37 vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. Three moderate Republicans—Susan Collins, Arlen Specter, and Olympia Snowe—jumped across the aisle to prevent a filibuster. Now the House and Senate must reconcile the differences between their bills, in the hope of getting it onto President Obama’s desk within a week.

The vote came as Barack Obama was stumping for the measure in Fort Myers, an area that’s been hard hit by the economic downturn. When Obama told the crowd the bill had passed, it erupted with cheers. (More economic stimulus package stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X