House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Congress will not recess for the mid-February President’s Day break if an economic stimulus package is not yet cleared for President-elect Barack Obama ’s signature.

“We can’t go home without an economic recovery package and we won’t,” she said, as Obama presssed for quick action on the package in a speech designed to rally public support for the package of new spending and tax cuts.

Republican leaders sounded optimistic about such a timeline in comments responding to Obama’s remarks, and were generally supportive of the need for a stimulus plan.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said the legislation will be moved through regular order, with markups and a House-Senate conference meeting.

Markups in at least the House Appropriations and Ways and Means committees are likely the week of Jan. 19, with the bill coming to the floor the following week, her spokesman said. Pelosi said she wants the package through the House by the end of January and that the Senate will work on its own version with the hope that a conference agreement can be reached and the legislation cleared by mid-February.

Before the start of the new Congress, Democrats had been discussing fast tracking the bill, intended to stem the damaging effects of the struggling economy, so that it could be on Obama’s desk later this month. But Republicans balked at that idea, saying it would leave them little chance to have their say.

Obama has urged that the bill allow for Republican input, both to give credence to his campaign pledge to govern in a bipartisan manner and also to secure GOP votes so he can claim a decisive legislative victory in his first weeks in office.

Republican leaders Thursday expressed optimism that they could work with congressional Democrats and Obama on a package, but reiterated their concerns about the cost — which have ranged from nearly $800 billion to more than $1 trillion — given that the Congressional Budget Office now projects this year’s deficit will be $1.2 trillion. The red ink could rise higher still because that projection does not include the cost of the stimulus bill.

“Given the deficit numbers it ought not be a $1 trillion bill,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., said.

Democratic leaders have said Obama favors a $775 billion plan.

McConnell said he thought completing a bill within a month’s time was a reasonable prospect.

Both he and House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, said that Congress has to do something to deal with the bad economy.

“I believe Washington has to act and act in a responsible way,” Boehner said.