Continuing the parade of conflicting economic news, the employment report showed the US economy shedding fewer jobs than forecast and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropping to 5%.

Congress returns next week with a number of pressing issues on the docket. One of the largest—if not the largest—is the worsening housing crisis.

A strong financial system is vitally important - not for Wall Street, not for bankers, but for working Americans. When our markets work, people throughout our economy benefit – Americans seeking to buy a car or buy a home, families borrowing to pay for college, innovators borrowing on the strength of a good idea for a new product or technology, and businesses financing investments that create new jobs. And when our financial system is under stress, millions of working Americans bear the consequences.

The United States House of Representatives has passed the bipartisan US$152 billion economic stimulus package that gives one-time rebates to United States citizens, US$600 for individuals or US$1,200 for couples plus US$300 for each child.

The U.S. Senate will hold debates on two competing versions of an economic stimulus plan Thursday.

The House has passed an economic stimulus package that would give rebate checks to taxpayers; bill's Senate prospects uncertain.