Obama Gets to Work

After packing Sasha and Malia off to their new school on Monday morning, Obama plans to get straight to work. He meets first with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help speed passage of the $1 trillion stimulus bill, which she would like ready for his signature as soon as he is inaugurated on January 20. Pelosi will be pressuring the new president to have his economic team provide details of the package so she can get legislation ready for a vote in the House as early as January 12. On Wednesday, House hearings begin on the stimulus plan. But the Washington Post predicts the passage of the recovery package won’t be easy. “Even if the House votes before Obama's inauguration, passage in the Senate is likely to be more contentious and take longer than in the other chamber. With an ongoing recount in Minnesota's Senate race and the process for replacing Obama in the chamber still uncertain, Democrats can be assured of holding only 57 seats during January, three votes shy of a veto-proof majority.”