The US House of Representatives has approved a huge stimulus bill touted by President Barack Obama as vital to saving the US economy from collapse.
But the $819bn measure passed without a single vote from Republicans, frustrating his high-profile hunt for bipartisan support after campaign promises to drain Washington politics of decades of bile.
Still, Mr Obama said he was ‘grateful’ after the House approved the measure by a vote margin of 244-188, with 11 Democrats joining Republicans, and that he was willing to make changes to the legislation as it moves through the Senate.
The president has pushed Congress to pass a final measure by mid-February.
He said in a statement that 'we cannot drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences to get in our way. We must move swiftly and boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins to do'.
Republicans, who lacked the votes to block the bill in the House but have significantly more clout in the Senate, promised not to be merely ‘the party of no' and signalled they would keep fighting for tax cuts as the best remedy.
‘Today's vote is a victory for the American people,’ said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who predicted the plan would help create or save three to four million US jobs.
After the US Senate passes its version of the bill, the two chambers will name a ‘conference’ to work out a final compromise measure that, if passed by both sides, would go to President Obama.
The stimulus plan includes about $275bn in tax cuts, including a credit worth $500 for each worker and $1,000 for couples.
Most of the package's value however is in infrastructure spending, including more than $60bn for new power grids and to make government buildings energy efficient.
$41bn more would go on modernising US schools, $30bn on highways construction and $6bn to expand rural access to broadband Internet.
Some money is intended for social welfare spending, which Republicans oppose, and includes $79bn in help to state governments to prevent cuts to key services, $43bn to increase unemployment benefits and $87bn to expand healthcare insurance for the poorest.
