Congressman John Yarmuth of Louisville says he expects a huge economic stimulus proposal to come up for a House floor vote next week.Yarmuth is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has completed work on the $275 billion tax portion of the legislation.He believes it has the potential to get the stagnant economy moving again."Most importantly, I think, to provide imprortant servcies and living support for people who are in desparate need because of this bad economy," Yarmuth said.He says those services include the extension and expansion of unemployment benefits.The Ways and Means bill will be combined with a measure crafted by the Appropriations Committee and brought to the House floor, probably Thursday.Many Republican lawmakers say the $825 billion plan is too costly and too much of the spending is for long-range projects that will not stimulate the economy quickly.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.