House Passes $26 Billion in State Aid

After the vote of 247 to 161 in favor of the legislation, President Obama quickly signed the measure at the White House, underscoring the importance Democrats place on the bill that they view as compelling evidence of their commitment to protecting American jobs.

"We can't stand by and do nothing while pink slips are given to the men and women who educate our children or keep our communities safe," Mr. Obama said earlier in the day, exhorting the House to send him the measure. "That doesn't make sense."

The Senate broke an impasse over the $26 billion measure last week and sent it to the House, which was called back into session by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to approve the bill.

Its backers said the measure would allow tens of thousands of public school teachers, government employees and emergency workers to keep working and help distressed states provide health care to the poor.

"I don't understand how anyone, Democrat or Republican, can be against keeping teachers in the classroom, keeping cops on the beat and keeping firefighters protecting our homes," said Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the majority leader.

Just two Republicans crossed party lines to support the measure; three Democrats opposed it.

Leading Republicans harshly rejected the bill, saying it was just the latest case of overspending by Democrats. They characterized the legislation as another in a string of bailouts that would not create new jobs. They also said Congress was coming to the rescue of states that had mishandled their own finances.

"We are broke," Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the Republican leader, said about the federal government. "We do not have the money to bail out the states. It's time for them to get their arms around their problems and not look to Washington to bail them out."

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