Stimulus Bill Advanced by House Panel

Washington

On a strictly party-line vote, the House Appropriations Committee last week approved the $550 billion spending portion of a mammoth bill aimed at spurring the U.S. economy.

The $825 billion overall stimulus measure, which also includes $275 billion in tax relief, would provide more than $120 billion for education, to help schools and colleges avoid drastic cuts because of state and local budget shortfalls amid the recession.

Republicans on the panel balked at the bill’s cost and argued that only a relatively small slice of the measure would go toward “shovel ready” projects, meaning infrastructure projects that can put...