Democrats & White House – Step on the gas
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/31/gall.capital.hill.gi.jpg]
Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh
CNN Capitol Hill Producers
A late meeting on Capitol Hill of congressional Democratic staff and staff from the White House on the auto loans broke up a few minutes ago with two senior Senate Democratic aides involved in the talks reporting progress on several key issues but not a done deal yet.
The two key remaining issues to be resolved involve whether to block the auto companies from suing states over their greenhouse gas emission standards and how the bill can ensure taxpayers can get repaid for loans to Chrysler, a privately held company, in the event the company goes bankrupt. Congressional Democrats want to add language they can reach up to the holding company, Cerberus Capital Management, if that happens, but the White House is “pushing back” according to one Democratic aide.
The talks did resolve two sticking points. One dealt with a provision that any expenditure by the three companies over $25 million would have to have to get prior government approval. To satisfy some Republicans who considered the requirement too cumbersome, the dollar amount was raised to $100 million.
The other change involved language to ensure the government would revoke the loans if the companies weren’t restructuring in a way the government found satisfactory. The legislative text was changed to say in the event that happens the government “shall” revoke the loans from “could” revoke them.
Democrats & White House – Step on the gas
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/US/12/09/auto.bailout/art.cars.gi.jpg caption="A key concern is how the bill can ensure that taxpayers are repaid for loans to Chrysler."]
Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh
CNN Capitol Hill producers
A late meeting on Capitol Hill of congressional Democratic staff and staff from the White House on the auto loans broke up a few minutes ago with two senior Senate Democratic aides involved in the talks reporting progress on several key issues but not a done deal yet.
The two key remaining issues to be resolved involve whether to block the auto companies from suing states over their greenhouse gas emission standards and how the bill can ensure taxpayers can get repaid for loans to Chrysler, a privately held company, in the event the company goes bankrupt. Congressional Democrats want to add language they can reach up to the holding company, Cerberus Capital Management, if that happens, but the White House is “pushing back” according to one Democratic aide.
The talks did resolve two sticking points. One dealt with a provision that any expenditure by the three companies over $25 million would have to have to get prior government approval. To satisfy some Republicans who considered the requirement too cumbersome, the dollar amount was raised to $100 million.
The other change involved language to ensure the government would revoke the loans if the companies weren’t restructuring in a way the government found satisfactory. The legislative text was changed to say in the event that happens the government “shall” revoke the loans from “could” revoke them.
“The hammer is the loans get called,” said one of the aides.
A Biden dynasty in the making
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/POLITICS/10/03/biden.deployment/art.beau.joe.biden.jpg caption="Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his son, Beau."]
Ted Barrett and Kate Bolduan
CNN Capitol Hill Unit
The appointment of Ted Kaufman to temporarily fill the Senate seat of Vice President-elect Joe Biden fits into a much speculated scenario that has Biden and other key players in Delaware paving the way for Biden’s son Beau to one day win his father’s seat.
Kaufman, a long time close aide to the older Biden, announced immediately after being appointed by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, D, that he would not run to complete the 6 year term when a special election is held in two years. That clears the way for Beau Biden, who is Delaware’s attorney general, to run without the difficulty of having to challenge an incumbent Democrat.
Beau Biden might have been appointed to the seat now except that he is deployed with his National Guard unit for the next several months in Iraq.
Joe Biden is “keeping the track open for his son to take the seat,” said an aide to Delaware Lt. Gov. John Carney, a contender for the appointment who was passed over.
The senior Biden issued a statement Monday saying “it is no secret” he thinks Beau would be a great senator and praised his son for announcing last week that he would decline a possible appointment in order to fulfill his military obligation.
VP-elect Biden said anyone who runs in the special election will do so from a “level playing field.”
And while that may be true, the decision by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, D, to select a place-holder does hold open an opportunity for Beau Biden that probably would not have existed if his father wasn’t the sitting senator.
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