Obama, Pelosi Set Economic Legislation Meeting

The Washington Post's Michael D. Shear reports that: " President-elect Barack Obama will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday (January 5th) as Congress prepares to reconvene and debate a massive recovery plan for the nation's struggling economy, according to Democratic sources... Sources said Obama and Pelosi will discuss the scope and timing of the economic recovery package, which Obama has said will be his first priority upon being sworn into office. Pelosi has said her goal is to have the legislation on the new president's desk and ready to be signed on Jan. 20." Interference from some "Republicans and conservative Democrats" could cause delays in the Obama-Pelosi time table. Pelosi has informed Democrats "on the need to act with deliberate speed to safeguard as many as three million jobs by making needed investments in infrastructure, alternative energy, science and other emerging sectors and providing middle-class tax cuts to help make work pay... Obama aides said the president-elect and his team will help make an all-out push to convince Americans that the government must spend almost $1 trillion to create jobs, provide cash for spending and shore up the finances of the state governments... the package under development is likely to contain three broad categories: infrastructure investment, tax breaks and direct aid to states."