Barack Obama faces an unexpectedly early test on Tuesday of whether he can govern as a bipartisan president when he meets Republican lawmakers to try to roll back the growing tide of conservative hostility to his $850bn stimulus plan.

Republican leaders have become increasingly strident in their opposition to the plan, which they claim is stuffed with spending on Democratic special interests and contains little in the way of genuine stimulus. Mr Obama has portrayed the vote, which is expected to take place in the House of Representatives as early as this week, as a critical test of whether he can govern from the centre.