The Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to temporarily set aside its partisan standoff over President Barack Obama's jobs plan and move toward giving a modest economic spark to two potent interest groups: veterans and businesses.

The Senate seemed ready Monday to temporarily ease its partisan standoff over President Barack Obama's jobs plan and come together on providing an economic boost to two potent interest groups: veterans and businesses.

House GOP leaders say the latest unemployment numbers show it's time for the Democratic-led Senate to begin approving jobs-related bills that the Republican-run House has passed.

Four prominent deficit-cutters told Congress' bipartisan "supercommittee" on Tuesday that they must strike a major debt reduction compromise that both raises revenue and revamps giant benefit programs.

The House voted in near lockstep Thursday to repeal a law aimed at compelling government contractors to pay all their taxes, sparking squabbling over which party was doing the most to create jobs but leaving economists underwhelmed that much of anything had been achieved.

Congress flooded its supercommittee with a jumble of advice Thursday about taming the government's out-of-control debt, with top agriculture lawmakers readying a bipartisan plan to pare food and farm aid while others urged an aggressive hunt for savings coupled with warnings against cutting cherished programs.

House Democrats are advising Congress' supercommittee to create jobs, raise revenues and avoid damaging cuts to crucial public works, education and health programs as the panel searches for ways to curb the government's growing debt.

Some Social Security advocates fear that President Barack Obama's desire to cut taxes supporting the program will undermine its vaunted stature as a self-financing pension system that provides checks to retirees based on contributions they made while working.