WASHINGTON (AP):

President Barack Obama met with Congres-sional Republicans on Tuesday in his quest to chip away at their doubts over the new administration's plans to spend $825 billion to rescue the economy.

At every opportunity, the new Democratic president has taken his case for the unprecedented spending and tax cut measure to the American public. Tuesday's journey to the Capitol was his first since taking office last week and was evidence of his desire for bipartisan support of his stimulus package.

The House is to vote on the White House-backed measure Wednesday, and Senate committees began their own deliberations over it on Tuesday. Congressional leaders have pledged to have the bill on Obama's desk by mid-February.

"There are some legitimate philosophical differences with parts of my plan that the Republicans have and I respect that," Obama said after meeting with House Republicans and before heading to a meeting with Senate Republican leaders.

Even so, he called his first discussions with House leaders "very constructive" and the Republican seemed to agree, though none signalled they were ready to sign on to the measure Wednesday.

A plan that works

"I think we both share a sincere belief that we have to have a plan that works," House Republican leader John Boehner said. "The president is sincere in wanting to work with us, wanting to hear our ideas and find some common ground."

Obama's decision to meet lawmakers on their home turf is symbolic of his desire for bipartisan backing for the stimulus plan even though fellow Democrats hold sufficient majorities in both houses to pass the measure, regardless.

"The statistics every day underscore the urgency of the economic situation, and the American people expect action," Obama said. "I don't expect 100 per cent agreement from my Republican colleagues, but I do hope we can put politics aside."

The legislation includes roughly $550 billion in spending as well as $275 billion in tax cuts. Much of the spending would be for items such as health care, jobless benefits, food stamps and other programmes that benefit victims of the recession.

An uphill battle

But the president faced an uphill battle as House Republican leaders urged their Republican colleagues to oppose the stimulus bill, delivering their appeal a few hours before their meeting with Obama.

Several officials said that Boehner and Eric Cantor, his second-in-command, told Republicans in a closed-door meeting earlier in the day that the legislation contains too much wasteful spending.

The officials who described the closed-door session did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorised to disclose the discussions.

Obama has been moving rapidly in his first days as president to fulfill campaign promises, shifting smoothly from the economy to climate change to the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison to foreign affairs.