Becker is hopeful stimulus will pass

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker wants Congress to put politics aside and move forward with a stimulus package that would pipe much-needed funds into the city.

Alongside mayors from a dozen other cities, Becker was in Washington, D.C., to meet with some of President Barack Obama's top advisers Wednesday, as the White House continued to push its nearly $900 billion plan.

"There's quite a bit of partisan bickering going on," Becker said. "Meanwhile, we have people in Salt Lake who are losing their jobs, losing their health care and getting foreclosed on."

Salt Lake has nearly $780 million in projects on its stimulus wish list, including a $65 million rebuild of the North Temple viaduct and a $70 million geothermal power plant.

Becker and other members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors spent the morning meeting with White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and Intergovernmental Affairs Director Cecilia Mu?z. Becker also planned to meet with Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

"Our major focus is that we want to see Congress act," Becker said. "We realize there are a lot of details and differences to work through. I was very hopeful, coming out of this last election, there would be a reduction in partisanship and a focus on how we can pull together as a country. There seems to be some erosion of that, but I'm hopeful we can move forward."

The House quickly approved an $819 billion plan last week without a single Republican vote. The plan grew to nearly $900 billion in the Senate, where the bill is expected to move slower, helping it win some bipartisan support in the end.

"I'm hopeful," Becker said. "This package would mean a lot of jobs for Salt Lake City."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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