US lawmakers have given final approval to President Barack Obama's contentious deal with Republicans to avert a New Year's tax hike and extend aid to the jobless despite a Democratic rebellion. A day after the Senate passed the package by an 81-19 margin, the House of Representatives followed suit 277-148, sending the measure to Mr Obama to sign. The 858 billion dollars measure was expected to give the US economy a much-needed boost while digging the country's deficit and debt deeper, as the world's richest country emerges from the worst downturn since the 1930s.