US House speaker predicts stimulus of $600 billion

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Monday that congressional Democrats are preparing a massive economic recovery bill in the range of $600 billion, blending immediate steps to counter the slumping U.S. economy with longer-term federal spending on infrastructure such as energy efficiency projects.

The California Democrat told reporters that economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com had recommended to Democrats an economic stimulus in that range, including $400 billion in infrastructure and $200 billion for tax cuts.