Obama and Pelosi to meet next week on stimulus: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will meet on Monday to discuss a stimulus bill aimed at kick-starting the ailing U.S. economy, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

It said Obama and Pelosi will discuss the timing and scope of the legislation, intended to spur job growth and likely to include big infrastructure investments and tax cuts.

Obama transition officials declined to comment.

Pelosi, a California Democrat, has said she wants a bill ready for Obama to sign when he takes office on January 20. That timing is now seen as overly optimistic, the Post said.

Lawmakers expect the spending bill to cost between $675 billion and $775 billion, the story said.

The Post cited Obama aides as saying the president-elect will aim to persuade Americans that a nearly $1 trillion government investment is crucial to create jobs, and help repair shattered state coffers.

(Additional reporting by Ross Colvin in Hawaii)