Final stimulus bill passes House 246-183
The final, negotiated version of the federal stimulus package just passed the House, 246-183, without a single Republican vote for the second time.
There were seven Democrats in the house who voted against the bill. The Missouri House delegation split strictly along party lines, with the Republicans (Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Roy Blunt, Sam Graves, Jo Ann Emerson and Todd Akin) all voting against it and the Democrats (Reps. Ike Skelton, Emanuel Cleaver, Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay) all voting for the bill, which is now estimated by the Congressional Budget Office at $787 billion.
The Senate vote, in which a 60-vote majority is needed, is expected to be much closer than the house vote. The bill received 61 votes the first time through the Senate, but Sen. Ted Kennedy is not expected to vote.
There are already statements released by seven Missouri congressmen, including Luetkemeyer, Cleaver, Skelton, Blunt, Carnahan, Graves and Akin.