US lawmakers presented a likely deal today on a bipartisan spending proposal for reviving job growth in the United States, according to dpa. Two leading US senators released a 90-billion-dollar draft bill that includes tax incentives to encourage hiring by smaller businesses, extending unemployment and health benefits, and some limited new spending on infrastructure. The initiative by Democratic Senator Max Baucus and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley - both leaders of the Senate Finance Committee - was welcomed by President Barack Obama. "The American people want to see Washington put aside partisan differences and make progress on jobs," Obama said in a statement. With the US unemployment rate at 9.7 per cent in January, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he wants to have a vote on a job creation bill this weekend. The lower House of Representatives passed a more ambitious 150-billion-dollar jobs bill in December.
