The final chapter in the debates over an economic stimulus bill was closed yesterday when two competing packages died in a Senate deadlock. Disagreeing from the outset as to whether economic aid should focus on tax cuts or increased spending, Republicans and Democrats were quick to assign blame to each other for the inability to pass a compromise measure. Immediately after the defeat of the two broader measures, the Senate approved a thirteen-week extension of unemployment benefits for individuals whose benefits ran out on or after the week of September 11---leaving Republican leaders in he House surprised and unsure how to respond.
See "Senate OKs giving the jobless a break", JILL ZUCKMAN, Chicago Tribune, February 6, 2002