The pain deepens

the recession

SENATE As joblessness soars, lawmakers craft an agreement on a stimulus package

BENEFITS The employed are increasingly feeling the sting of the economic downturn

Compromise trims stimulus price tag

Still, among Republican lawmakers especially, disenchantment with the stimulus package runs deep. These Republicans suggested that Obama's road show will not influence their vote.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker said in an interview that Obama's trip reflects a recognition on the president's part that the stimulus package "is a fumble."

Corker added: "I wish that instead of going to Indiana and Florida, he was sitting down with his [Democratic] colleagues here in the Senate and letting them be honest with him. I think that many of them realize what a mistake this is."

In the Senate, the challenge facing negotiators was to trim the bill enough to win Republican support without losing Democratic votes.

The fact that only a handful of Republicans signed onto the agreement was a blow to Obama's hope that the bill would pass with support of a broad bipartisan majority.

At least three Republicans were needed to secure the 60 vote majority needed to overcome procedural hurdles.