Reid and GOP in a Showdown

• By Steven T. Dennis and John Stanton
• Roll Call Staff
• Feb. 6, 2008, Midnight

Senate Republicans scrambled Tuesday to avoid the ire of AARP and veterans, offering to support payments to 20 million low- income seniors and 250,000 disabled vets left out of the House stimulus package, while hoping to hold the line against unemployment insurance, energy tax breaks and other goodies backed by Senate Democrats and the Finance Committee.