During a pen-and-pad session with reporters an hour after the Republican press conference, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer quoted Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the Republican leader, who said in January that the omnibus could be passed easily because it had already been looked over by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate.

House Republicans had complained that they had not seen the bill, though Hoyer indicated it had been fully marked up in committees.

"These were nine bills that were not passed by October when they should have been passed," McConnell said at the time. "They're ready to go, they've already been vetted by both sides, and we've passed them on an overwhelming bipartisan basis."

McConnell had been arguing against moving forward with an economic stimulus bill, but his comments are now ammunition for House Democrats to knock down Republican arguments against the bill.

When told by a reporter of Republican arguments against the 9,000+ earmarks in the bill, Hoyer asked if anyone had asked Republicans why lowering earmarks had not been on the GOP agenda the last eight years. A press release from the leader's office states that 40 percent of the earmarks in the omnibus bill are GOP earmarks; that earmarks total less than 1 percent of the budget; and that the bill actually reduces earmarks.

"Saying things is easy," Hoyer said. "Doing them is tough for Republicans."