Dana Bash, CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent
Brianna Keilar, CNN Congressional Correspondent
Barack Obama is already having trouble getting fellow Democrats to give him the remaining $350 billion dollars for Wall Street.
But now, he has a growing Republican problem.
Some half a dozen Republican Senators who voted for the financial rescue in the fall tell CNN that they plan to oppose it this time.
“I think it would be very difficult voting for the TARP funds because in the first $350 billion, there was no transparency. We don’t even know how it was spent,” Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign told CNN.
Brianna Keilar | Bio
CNN Congressional Correspondent
President-elect Obama will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Monday to discuss his proposal for the new economic stimulus plan, which leaders are now referring to as an "economy recovery plan", a Senate Democratic leadership aide said Friday. Obama, Pelosi and Reid are then hoping to meet with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner, the aide told CNN.
The President-elect's staff contacted McConnell's office about meeting on Monday but the time and location has not been buttoned down, said a Senate Republican leadership aide. "It's likely to happen but the details still need to be worked out," said the aide. Asked if Republicans are satisfied with what appears to be an effort by Obama to include them in discussions about the new economic stimulus package the GOP aide said, " It depends on what the meeting is - if it's just a photo opp or if they're really reaching out."
Brianna Keilar | Bio
CNN Congressional Correspondent
Have you every hosted a party only for someone to show up even though you didn't invite them and you didn't want them to attend? Awkward, right? That's how Senate Democratic leaders feel about Roland Burris, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's pick to replace Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. They think it's likely Burris will show up on Capitol Hill Tuesday for the opening day of Congress, what's normally a very uncontroversial day of fuzzy moments akin to the first day of school. And so, says a Democratic aide, they're making contingency plans.
Think of the Senate chamber as the hottest nightclub in town. If Burris tries to enter, the bouncer (or in this case the "doorkeeper") won't let him past the velvet rope, says a Democratic aide. If Burris persists or refuses to leave and causes a scene outside the club, the bouncer calls in reinforcements (Capitol Police officers) and, ultimately, the bouncer-in-chief (also known as the Sergeant at Arms, the only guy who's a big enough deal that he can actually arrest the President of the United States, at the direction of the Senate) steps in.
As if Washington doesn't seem synonymous enough with Illinois these days, the Senate Sergeant at Arms, Terrance Gainer, is a familiar face to Roland Burris. They both served in the Illinois government in the '90s – Gainer as the Director of the Illinois State Police and Burris as Illinois' Attorney General.
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