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Democratic leaders call for lame-duck |
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By Silla Brush
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Posted: 11/11/08 06:22 PM [ET] |
Congressional Democratic leaders on Tuesday called for a lame-duck session next week to help the automobile industry, ramping up pressure on the White House to help a bedrock of the American workforce in the process.
In separate statements, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asserted the need to hold a post-election session to bolster efforts to help the beleaguered auto industry.
“I am confident Congress can consider emergency assistance legislation next week during a lame-duck session,” Pelosi said in a statement, “and I hope the Bush administration would support it.”
She said Congress and the White House must take “immediate action” to extend aid to automakers as part of the broader efforts being undertaken to ease the financial crisis.
Reid said Senate Democrats were committed to doing “all we can” to help the auto industry, but added that assistance could only be provided “if President Bush and Senate Republicans work with us in a bipartisan fashion.”
“Next week, during the lame-duck session of Congress, we are determined to pass legislation that will save the jobs of millions of workers whose livelihoods are on the line. They deserve no less,” Reid said.
He expressed confidence President Bush and Senate Republicans would “do what is right for our economy.”
The White House and Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement on how to help the auto industry. On Monday, President-elect Barack Obama called on Bush to offer assistance to the carmakers.
Congress already provided the automakers with $25 billion in government-backed loans in September, although the companies have not received any of that money to date because of administrative delays, including federally required environmental assessments.
In her statement, Pelosi instructed House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to work with House and Senate leaders on legislation allowing the $700 billion financial rescue package to be used to help automakers. The administration has resisted calls to use its existing authority to help the auto companies, arguing the legislation does not grant it this power.
Separately, a spokesman for Pelosi said Democrats would not trade support for the lingering Colombia free trade agreement, a longstanding aim of the Bush administration, for an economic stimulus package previously seen as the main component of a lame-duck session.
“Our first responsibility is to provide immediate assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering in today’s economy,” said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami. “That is our top economic priority, and the Colombia free trade agreement should be considered on its own merits.”
The Speaker’s comments come after both the Bush administration and aides to President-elect Barack Obama backed away from reports that they discussed joining the two bills when they met at the White House on Monday.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said “there was no linkage” made by Bush during the private meeting that would imply in any way that the president is open to a deal on a stimulus package. “In no way did President Bush suggest that there was a quid pro quo when it came to the Colombia free trade agreement or the other free trade agreements,” Perino said.
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