Senate forges deal on $820 billion stimulus

"For some people, the top number was not as important as temporary [measures], and for others the top number was very important," says Senator Nelson. "This was the mechanism to get 60 plus votes. There wasn't any other way to do it."

A key dispute was over the size and scope of the final package. Even the negotiators were often hundreds of billions of dollars apart. Early in the negotiations, Senator Collins was proposing a $620 billion recovery plan, but said she was convinced after meeting with President Obama that more stimulus was needed to get the economy back on track.

"This actually cuts over 20 percent of the money recommended for spending by the [Senate] Appropriations Committee. But it comes very close to the $800 billion that President Obama has quite rightly said this country needs to make this stimulus work," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of
Connecticut, one of the negotiators.

The White House was deeply involved in moving a compromise bill through the Senate. The president spoke frequently with key senators on both sides of the aisle, and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel came to a Democratic caucus meeting on Friday to endorse the deal.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans --­ left out of the final negotiations as a consequence of the defection of three of their members ­-- are opposing the package. The House version of the stimulus deal passed without a single GOP vote.

"Now, if most Republicans were convinced that this would work, there might be a greater willingness to support it," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on the floor of the Senate after announcement of the deal. "But all the historical evidence suggests that it's highly unlikely to work. And so, you have to balance the likelihood of success versus the crushing debt that we're levying on the backs of our children, our grandchildren, and, yes, their children."

Even before the Senate moves on a final version of this legislation, Democrats say that negotiations between the House and Senate over those differences are already on track.

"As a result of the Senate action, we are closer to moving to a conference committee that will finalize legislation President Obama will sign," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a statement after announcement of the Senate deal.

"Despite differences between the House and Senate versions, Congress is committed to sending the President legislation to create or save over 3 million jobs and begin to put our country back on the road to recovery," she added.

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