Pelosi defends stimulus choices

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended her decision to drop food stamp spending from the economic stimulus plan steaming through Congress, saying tax rebates will do more for the middle class and working poor.

“I thought it was far more important to put $1,000 in the hands of that mom who needs it,” Pelosi said in an appearance at the National Press Club.

{mosads}Democratic senators have complained that extra food stamp spending should not have been left out when Pelosi negotiated the plan with House Republicans and the Bush administration. Pelosi said the plan that was being discussed would have given food stamp recipients a mere “10 cents a day.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) shared the podium with Pelosi, but did not directly address the food stamp question. His fellow Democratic senators have also complained that public works spending and unemployment insurance should have been included in the stimulus package.

Reid has emphasized the importance of getting the package passed quickly. As laid out by House leaders and the Bush administration, the federal government would send rebates of up to $600 or $1,200 for joint filers, plus $300 per child.

In exchange for giving rebates to wage earners who do not make enough to pay income taxes, Democrats agreed to Republican demands for business tax breaks to spur investment.

Pelosi and Reid spoke in a “pre-buttal” to President Bush’s final State of the Union speech, which is scheduled for Monday. Pelosi called for strengthening the economy with a renewed focus on education and healthcare.

Reid challenged Bush to change his approach to fighting terrorism and Islamic extremism to end practices that have angered many across the globe. He said Bush should publicly renounce torture, end the interrogation practice called “waterboarding” and close the Guantanamo Bay military prison where terrorism suspects are held.

He also said he expects that Bush will tout recent success in Iraq in his address Monday. But Reid said that after five years of war, Bush does not deserve praise for his handling of the conflict.

“He’ll tell us the war has turned a corner and victory is in sight,” Reid said. “We first heard that on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in front of a sign that said ‘Mission Accomplished.’ We’ve heard it in every State of the Union since. The mission is still not accomplished.”