Changes

The '''Economic stimulus package''' is a 2009 bill by [[President Obama]] and the Democratic leadership in Congress to spend $819 billion or more dollars to revive an ailing U.S. economy, battered by the [[Recession of 2008]]. It includes $275 billion in tax cuts, and the rest for spending on a very wide variety of projects.<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29assess.html?hp David M. Herszenhorn, "Stimulus Package’s Components Vary in Speed and Efficiency," ''New York Times'' Jan. 28, 2009]</ref>

The '''Economic stimulus package''' is a 2009 bill by [[President Obama]] and the Democratic leadership in Congress to spend $819 billion or more dollars to revive an ailing U.S. economy, battered by the [[Recession of 2008]]. It includes $275 billion in tax cuts, and the rest for spending on a very wide variety of projects.<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29assess.html?hp David M. Herszenhorn, "Stimulus Package’s Components Vary in Speed and Efficiency," ''New York Times'' Jan. 28, 2009]</ref>

"The strategy under this bill is to throw billions of dollars in every bureaucratic direction, and cross our fingers and hope for the best," said Rep. Ken Calvert (R., Calif.) during debate. Rep. David Obey (D., Wis.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, responded, "We need to compare the cost of this package against the cost of doing nothing. The cost of nothing would be catastrophic."<ref> See [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123315486943524321.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy Jonathan Weisman, Greg Hitt And Naftali Bendavid, "House Passes Stimulus Package; $819 Billion Jolt to Economy Aims to Reshape Education, Health Care; Deficit to Soar," ''Wall Street Journal'' Jan. 29, 2009]</ref>

"The strategy under this bill is to throw billions of dollars in every bureaucratic direction, and cross our fingers and hope for the best," said Rep. Ken Calvert (R., Calif.) during debate. Rep. David Obey (D., Wis.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, responded, "We need to compare the cost of this package against the cost of doing nothing. The cost of nothing would be catastrophic."<ref> See [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123315486943524321.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy Jonathan Weisman, Greg Hitt And Naftali Bendavid, "House Passes Stimulus Package; $819 Billion Jolt to Economy Aims to Reshape Education, Health Care; Deficit to Soar," ''Wall Street Journal'' Jan. 29, 2009]</ref>

The stimulus package is aimed at preventing the economy from collapsing and restoring it to normal. Conservative critics claims it will do little to help the economy and is filled with non-essential spending. The [[Congressional Budget Office]] says $347 billion more in interest will be the result, which brings the total plan over 1 [[trillion]] dollars. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/28/special-groups-line-piece-stimulus/ Special-Interest Groups Line Up for a Piece of Stimulus] Fox News, January 28, 2009</ref>

The 2009 bill includes tax rebates that resemble in part the $152 billion stimulus law proposed by President [[George W. Bush]] and passed by Congress in Feb. 2008; those rebates were mostly saved and failed to stimulate the economy in 2008. <ref>see [http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0631744820080208 Reuters, Feb. 8, 2008]</ref>  

==House==  

==House==