Senators Looking to Make Changes in Stimulus Plan - washingtonpost.com

Senators Looking to Make Changes in Stimulus Plan Alterations Could Complicate Conference Talks, Drive Up Cost By Paul Kane Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 2, 2009; A05 The Senate will open debate today on a nearly $900 billion economic stimulus plan that is similar in size and scope to the package the House passed, creating a possibly smooth path for sending a bill to President Obama's desk by the mid-February deadline. But senators in both parties hope to alter the legislation, focusing on easing the housing crisis, increasing infrastructure spending and cutting taxes on corporations. If many of these changes are accepted in the Senate, which hopes to finish voting on the plan by Friday, it could complicate the effort to work out differences between the two bills. It could also drive the overall cost of the legislation, which was $819 billion in the House version and is $887 billion in the Senate plan, much closer to the politically shaky $1 trillion mark. How many changes will the Senate make? Senators Looking to Make Changes in Stimulus Plan - washingtonpost.com