Republicans complained that the bill included so-called pork-barrel spending and that Democrats didn't seek their input in crafting the bill. "A bill that was supposed to be about jobs, jobs, jobs has turned into a bill about spending, spending, spending," said Representative John Boehner, an Ohio Republican and House minority leader. "We owe it to the American people to get this right."

Republicans also complained they had less than 24 hours to digest the final version of the bill, about 1,000 pages long. No lawmaker has had the time to read the entire bill, Boehner said.

"This is a sad day for our country," said Senator John Thune [cq], a South Dakota Republican. "And it's a sad day for future generations who will be left paying for this billion-dollar spending bill."

Democrats argued the bill is necessary to jump-start the U.S. economy. Senator Joe Lieberman [cq], a Connecticut independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he's confident the bill will "begin the turnaround of the American economy."

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, applauded the bill for including money for grants and loans to broadband providers that deploy in unserved areas. Residents of the rural United States need broadband to train for high-tech jobs of the future, she said.