FACTBOX: Top goals of Obama, fellow Democrats in Congress

(Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress, hoping to capitalize on expanded majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, will work with President Barack Obama to push an aggressive legislative agenda in 2009.

Here is a look at some of their priorities:

* Passage of a huge economic stimulus bill is at the top of the Democrats' list. They have talked about spending about $775 billion over two years to invest in public works projects, expand aid to cash-starved state governments and give more help to the poor and unemployed who have been hit hard by the year-long recession. Obama plans to propose $310 billion in tax cuts for the middle class and businesses.

* The Senate wants to act quickly to confirm Obama's Cabinet -- his top advisers -- including Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary.

* Sometime early in 2009, the Treasury Department is expected to notify Congress that it wants to tap the remaining $350 billion in financial industry bailout funds, which could be challenged by some lawmakers. Congress also could be confronted by March with another tough decision: whether U.S. automakers should get more government help to stay afloat.

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, wants to hold Obama to his campaign promise of setting timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq. This would free additional U.S. soldiers to help root out militants in Afghanistan and other countries.

* Democrats want to reverse what they view as years of inadequate federal regulation of the financial industry, which has helped lead to turmoil on Wall Street, global economic weakness and record home foreclosures.

* Expand health care, perhaps starting with passing a bill vetoed by outgoing President George W. Bush to increase federal aid to the State Childrens' Health Insurance Program.

* Move the U.S. toward energy independence by encouraging oil companies to drill where they already are allowed, step up conservation, accelerate development of alternative energy sources and rein in oil speculators blamed, in part, for steep price increases last year.

* Enact legislation vetoed by Bush that would expand federally funded embryonic stem-cell research.

* After eight years of Bush nominating anti-abortion rights conservatives to federal courts, Obama would likely name moderate and liberal ones that Congress would have to confirm.

* Legislation to allow workers to organize if a majority of them sign a union card. This would let them avoid secret-ballot elections that critics say are often thwarted by employers.

* Reverse a Supreme Court ruling that has made it more difficult for workers to sue for pay discrimination. Republicans in the Senate blocked such legislation last April.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan; editing by Patricia Zengerle)