$819b bailout plan to set tone of Obama's first year

WASHINGTON DC: US President Barack Obama's $819-billion economic stimulus legislation is headed for the Senate after a surprisingly partisan vote in the House of Representatives, in which Republicans united in opposition.

Obama hailed his plan, the largest ever in the US history to bail out the economy, saying it would "save or create more than 3 million jobs over the next few years".

During next week's Senate debate, at least some Republicans are expected to support it. But Obama's hopes of changing Washington's partisan culture have not been met despite his separate high-profile meetings with House and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.