Republicans To Seek Obama Meeting On Stimulus-Aide

Congressional Republicans plan to seek a meeting as early as Thursday with President Barack Obama to discuss ideas for boosting the ailing economy as lawmakers begin work on a $825 billion Democratic stimulus package.

House Republicans were drafting a letter, expected to be sent to the White House later on Wednesday, which could ask for meeting Thursday, according to a Republican aide in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House Appropriations Committee later on Wednesday was slated to vote on amendments to the spending portion of the legislation and the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee was scheduled to consider its part of the legislation on Thursday.

In an early test of Obama's ability to bridge partisan divides amid deepening economic gloom, he and his fellow Democrats in Congress face strong skepticism among Republicans concerned about massive new spending programs that could swell the federal government.

The Democrats' package includes about $550 billion in spending on infrastructure upgrades for roads, bridges and energy grids, as well as $275 billion in tax cuts which are aimed at winning Republican votes in the House and Senate.

Democrats hope to push the stimulus package through Congress by mid-February to give Obama a big legislative victory a month after taking office and help boost the economy which has been in recession since December 2007.