U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday is visiting Capitol Hill in an effort to hear from Republican lawmakers as he pushes for swift passage and bipartisan backing of his massive $825 billion economic stimulus plan. As the economy still is in a slow tumble, Obama is making his first trip to Capitol Hill since he was sworn-in last week. Obama will participate in two private afternoon sessions on Tuesday with U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Republicans. “The goal is to seek their input. He [Obama] wants to hear their ideas. If there are good ideas—and I think he assumes there will be—we will look at those ideas. I think the president is genuinely serious about this,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said to White House reporters on Monday. Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blamed Democrats for any delay in the package's passage. “We're anxious to help him [Obama]. Frankly, the biggest problem is with his own party, the Democratic Party, which seems to be drifting away from what he said he wanted, which is a package that is at least 40 percent tax cuts and earmark free,” Reid said. Republican leaders sent Obama a letter last week requesting he talk with them about the stimulus. Tuesday's meetings follow a bipartisan, bicameral White House gathering last week with congressional leaders on the economy.
