checks

A report released Tuesday estimates the federal budget deficit will rise from $246 billion to $407 billion by the end of the year, due in part to 'stimulus' checks and bank bailouts.

A Texas cannery has been using shredded checks from the local bank as packing materials for the past twenty years.

Top Democrats are calling for more measures to stimulate the economy. But experts say it's too soon to tell whether another round of stimulus is a good idea.

In February, lawmakers passed a $168 billion program to juice the economy.

And some say it's time to do it again.The centerpiece of the first package: sending checks to consumers to spend as they saw fit.

Wal-Mart's better-than-expected sales in May got a boost customers spending their government stimulus checks, but company officials noted that its faster, cleaner and friendlier approach to merchandising is clearly resonating with shoppers in a challenging economy.

As the government sends out roughly $100 billion in economic stimulus checks to about 130 million American homes, retailers are trying to persuade consumers to spend their windfall at a time of high anxiety about the economy.