Senators began working on ways to improve a $150 billion fiscal stimulus package hammered out by House leaders and the White House to jumpstart the economy. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency was grilled at a Senate hearing over his controversial decision to block Vermont and other states from doing more to curb vehicle emissions that cause global warming. Congress prepared for the State of the Union address on Monday. The good news (except for one Vermont businessman who has capitalized on the president's unpopularity) is that it will be President Bush's last State of the Union speech.

Economic Stimulus The deal includes rebates for most tax filers of up to $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples and, for families, an additional $300 a child. The strong push for a tax rebates is a contrast from the last time the idea was considered in 2001, when Sanders, then in the House, first proposed rebates. At the time, many in conservatives in Congress balked. Former Sen. Phil Gramm scoffed that it would be better to throw money out of helicopters. This time, the idea has picked up steam as an effective way to boost an economy increasingly driven by consumer spending. Congressional leaders set a goal of Feb. 15 to send a measure to Bush for the president's signature. Senate Democrats had reservations about the plan. That stripped out extended unemployment benefits and billions of dollars for infrastructure projects. "What you see is a start in the House that in my view will undergo significant changes Senate," Sanders told Vermont Public Radio. "We will make it stronger. We will make it better." To read the Congress Daily report on the history of Sanders and tax rebates in Congress Daily, click here. To listen to the report on VPR, click here.

Global Warming Under grilling by a hostile Senate committee Thursday, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson defended his decision to deny California permission to implement its own global-warming law. Vermont and other states that want to adopt the tougher California emissions rules have taken the EPA to court over whether California should have been granted a waiver. Vermont Governor James Douglas testified at the Senate environment committee hearing that the Bush administration waiver ruling was wrong. Sanders, a member of the panel, said, "The entire planet is in danger, yet we have an administration that, I must say, will go down in American history as the worst in so many areas, certainly in environmental protection." He told the EPA administrator, "If you can't do the right thing, at least get out of the way of states like Vermont, California and others to move forward." Sanders and Senator Patrick Leahy cosponsored a bill by Senator Barbara Boxer, the Californian who chairs the Senate committee, to undo the EPA ruling. To read more about the hearing and the legislation that was introduced, click here.

Border Rule Blasted "The Department of Homeland Security made a questionable move with the announcement that Americans crossing back from Canada will face stricter ID requirement starting Jan. 31," The Burlington Free Press editorialized on Friday. Sen. Sanders, the paper noted, said Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff's decision "is going to cause more confusion than it will help secure our borders." To read Sanders full statement, click here. To read the editorial, click here.

State of the Union President Bush on Monday night appears before a joint session of Congress for what will be his last State of the Union address. By this time next year the 44th president of the United States will have been sworn into office. Lots of people can't wait. More than 600 businesses across the country sell T-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers and other products made in Vermont that proclaim "01.20.09." One year from now Elliot Nachwalter and his Vermont company, "Bush's Last Day," will have to find new inspiration, The Associated Press reported. To read the story, click here.