A Push to Help the Troubled Economy

Despite such tepid reviews, there was at least something in the State of the Union address that most Americans welcomed—the economic stimulus package. Bush urged Congress to approve his version, a $150 billion plan that would send 117 million taxpayers rebates of between $300 per person and $1,200 per family and provide $50 billion in business tax breaks to encourage new investment. The House passed its own measure, and the Senate was preparing a more generous alternative; when the final version is enacted, it will probably take a couple of months for the government to send out the rebate checks.