"It goes without saying that the challenges ahead are impressive. But I've never been so confident that if we renew our commitment to move beyond partisan divisions, the 111th Congress will be an extraordinary success" said Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid.

The majority leader in the House Democrat Steny Hoyer, who also expressed "confidence", said his priorities that Democrats would cover health, investment in new technologies and good jobs.

Republican side, despite a "broad agreement" on the question of the plan, the sound of a bell is a little different. The leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has warned against the risk of a "rush" in the adoption of the text.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats, who have won 21 seats in the elections of November 4, are now a strong majority of 256 members to 435. Representatives of the new Congress were sworn in Tuesday.

In the Senate, they have a majority of 57 seats out of 100 after winning six additional seats. Tuesday, 34 senators whose seats were at stake have given sworn in by Vice-President of the United States, Dick Cheney, who chairs the upper house.

The seat of Illinois (north), left vacant by Mr. Obama, was assigned by the state governor Rod Blagojevich - accused of corruption - at Roland Burris, who was not allowed to sit.

The Democrat and former actor Al Franken in Minnesota (north), the winner with a handful of votes in advance, can not sit him because his Republican opponent Norm Coleman disputes the results of the recount.

If the election of Mr. Franken is validated and the dispute over the seat of Illinois settled, the Democratic majority in the Senate will be 59 seats out of 100.

But with 41 seats, the Republicans have the blocking minority to prevent the passage of bills.

Hence the seduction operation launched Monday to Congress by President-elect Barack Obama who came to promote his plan to revive the economy. "Americans, I think, rely on us to act quickly and so bold, but responsible," he said.

Mr. Obama wants to attract Republicans frightened by the cost of the plan, some 775 billion dollars even after consideration of the text by the two chambers.

The future president, will take office on January 20, stressed the importance of tax cuts under his plan. Approximately 300 billion of the total amount of the plan could be allocated to these tax measures.

The plan, which must be approved by the House and Senate before being found on the Office of the President for promulgation should be ready by February.

It will support measures in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, energy, new technologies.

In addition to this plan, already announced as the number one priority of the new Congress and the Obama team, parliamentarians will have to consider the Finance Act 2009 and the reform of the health coverage promised by Mr. Obama at its campaign.