Obama calls meeting with top Democrats on stimulus

By Ross Colvin and Paul Eckert

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing opposition from Republican lawmakers to parts of his economic recovery plan, President Barack Obama called Democratic Congressional leaders to a meeting on Monday to drive home his message of urgency.

With hundreds of thousands of Americans losing their jobs, many their homes, and a rapidly shrinking economy, Obama is under pressure to move swiftly to get his nearly $900 billion plan through Congress by mid-February.

Senior Republican senators warned on Sunday their party was unlikely to back the stimulus bill without changes to cut waste and to ensure the package provides an immediate boost to the deteriorating economy.

"The thing I want all of them (lawmakers) to remember, and the thing I am thinking of every single day, is the thousands of people being laid off from their jobs right now," Obama said in an interview with the NBC television network.

"They can't afford politics as usual and old habits are hard to break, but now is the time to break them because we have an urgent situation."

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are due to meet House and Senate Democratic leaders at the White House on Monday. A Democratic Senate aide said Obama had called the meeting to discuss the next steps on the stimulus bill.

Brendan Daly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said the president and Democratic leaders would be discussing their legislative agenda for the next few months.

Obama has held a series of meetings with Republican Congressional leaders since taking office on January 20 in an effort to win backing for his plan, which passed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives without a single Republican vote last week.

The bill is now being considered by the Senate, where Democrats also have a majority.

"I've done extraordinary outreach to Republicans because they have some good ideas and I want to make sure those ideas are incorporated," Obama said.

While he does not need Republican votes to get the bill passed, winning their support is an early test of Obama's commitment to his campaign promise to try to end divisive politics.

Republicans are unhappy with some of the spending priorities in the bill, which proposes a mix of tax cuts, public works projects and direct aid to struggling states.

"I am confident that by the time we have the final package on the (Senate) floor we are going to see substantial support," Obama told NBC.

A number of U.S. companies announced layoffs last week and new figures showed the economy shrinking at its fastest rate in nearly 27 years. The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits hit a record high.