WASHINGTON, DC - By a vote of 81-16 the U.S. Senate last night passed a $170 billion economic stimulus plan that will provide $600 to $1,200 rebate checks to thousands of Rhode Island families this spring. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who supported final passage, worked with his Democratic colleagues to add payments for millions of seniors and disabled veterans who were left out of the House plan. After final passage of the measure, Reed issued the following statement:

"Rhode Islanders know the economy isn't doing well. They, like millions of Americans, are facing more financial pressures than before - housing values are falling, energy prices are up, and wages haven't increased much over the last eight years.

"This stimulus is a good first step. It will put a rebate check in the hands of many Rhode Islanders, and, unlike the President's plan, seniors and disabled veterans will be among them. It also supports small businesses and will increase FHA loan limits to help ease the fallout from the housing crisis.

"However, I am disappointed that our efforts to temporarily extend unemployment insurance for people looking for work and provide $1 billion of emergency funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) fell one vote short of the 60 needed to break a Republican filibuster.

"The goal of the stimulus is to grow the economy. But our efforts can't stop with this one bill. We need to address the housing crisis in a comprehensive manner. We need to extend unemployment benefits which economists say is one of the most effective ways to stimulate the economy. We must encourage job growth in new, clean energy technology, and we need to speed up existing infrastructure projects to put people to work and improve our transportation system.

"I hope the President will quickly sign this bill into law and work with Congress to get our economy back on the right track."