The U.S. Senate approved an $838 billion economic rescue plan on Tuesday, setting the stage for tough haggling this week over the final package of tax cuts and spending aimed at averting a deeper recession. President Barack Obama wants the Democratic-controlled Congress to deliver a package to his desk this weekend, but the Senate and House of Representatives must first reconcile differences between their two bills. The House has approved an $819 billion plan.
Obama, making a campaign-style stop in an economically hard-hit part of Florida, immediately called the outcome "good news" and "a good start" to his bid to rescue the battered U.S. economy.