Amended Stimulus Plan Hits House Today

Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan hits the House floor today after tweaks aimed at assuaging conservatives on both sides of the aisle, Politico reports. Many critics remained wary of the package, but some—including the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee—appeared swayed by Obama's argument that the plan is merely "one leg in a multi-legged stool."

The Senate Finance panel made the biggest change to the plan, adding $70 billion to insulate mostly upper-middle-income taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax. Fiscally conservative Dems slashed $200 million to fix up the National Mall, and a controversial provision boosting Medicaid spending on contraceptives is also gone. The bill is expected to pass the House, but without the strong bipartisan consensus Obama had hoped for.
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