Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. said earlier Wednesday that he was bothered that special-interest groups were lining up for handouts in an economic stimulus bill and urged senators to keep it focused on simple tax rebates.

“I am increasingly concerned that in the Senate, the bazaar is open, the special interests are coming to the trough, and that when I’m reading about and hearing about things like tax rebates for coal companies, the benefits for oil-well drilling and things like this, I’m concerned that it’s going to get bogged down,” Mr. Paulson said.

Mr. Reid’s approach reflected increasing confidence among Democrats that worsening unemployment and fears of a recession made it safe to push hard for their expanded package.

The House proposal, worked out in a deal with the White House, is a more streamlined combination of tax rebates or payments for individuals and families and tax incentives for businesses. But more than 20 million Americans living on Social Security and more than 250,000 disabled veterans would not qualify under that plan.

“Why in the world would we want to leave that group behind?” Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, asked before the vote on Wednesday.

The proposal favored by Senate Democrats would give payments to those living on Social Security and the disabled veterans, but it contains other provisions that many Republicans say are too costly and should not be part of the stimulus plan, including an extension of unemployment benefits and tax incentives for the coal industry.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, has indicated he would like to adopt the House plan with two changes  the inclusion of those on Social Security and veterans, and a stipulation that illegal immigrant workers could not receive payments. He said Tuesday that he would still seek that.