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Sen. Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, warned Thursday that the chamber lacks Republican votes needed to move along a rescue package for American car manufacturers. "I don't know of a single Republican who is willing to support" the auto bailout, said Dodd (D-Conn.), who would be in charge of steering the $25 billion package to support the auto industry through the chamber during the lame-duck session. The money would come from the $700 billion financial rescue package passed last month, but leadership has pushed for additional legislation to explicitly direct some of that money to car companies.While Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber, they need to peel away a few Republicans to get the 60 votes required to limit debate. Furthermore, Democrats are likely to be without three important votes. President-elect Barack Obama is resigning his seat Sunday. Vice President-elect Joe Biden may be busy with the transition. And Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is recovering from a brain tumor. Dodd said that the administration has the authority to parcel out the bailout money directly to automakers, but the legislation “doesn’t require that [the treasury] use it.” Dodd suggested that it may make more sense for President-elect Barack Obama's administration to use the authority, instead of bringing the bill to the floor and see it fail. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is committed to moving the aide package during the lame-duck session, his spokesman said. “But we cannot do it without the support of Senate Republicans, who I hope will join us to pass a bill that saves the jobs and protects the livelihoods of millions of hard-working Americans,” said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid. A spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Dodd’s assessment of the votes will not deter Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and leader negotiator in that chamber, from working with senators to craft a bill that includes “proper accountability, oversight and protection for the taxpayers.” Frank has scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday to hear testimony on behalf of the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers union. “We would hope that all members of Congress would work together to aid the employees and retirees and their families and stabilize an industry that is crucial to our national economy and our national security,” said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement earlier in the day questioning the aide package for automakers. “Spending billions of additional federal tax dollars with no promises to reform the root causes crippling automakers’ competitiveness around the world is neither fair to taxpayers nor sound fiscal policy,” Boehner said in the statement.
Mike Soraghan contributed to this article
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