House prepares to vote on bailout bill

Under pressure from President Bush, members of Congress spent Thursday trying to line up enough votes to pass the revised economic rescue package Friday. Bush urged lawmakers to vote ?yes? on the bailout

News 12 Staff

Oct 2, 2008, 11:26 PM

Updated 5,864 days ago

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Under pressure from President Bush, members of Congress spent Thursday trying to line up enough votes to pass the revised economic rescue package Friday.
Bush urged lawmakers to vote ?yes? on the bailout bill in order to stave off a complete financial meltdown, emphasizing that the economic crisis has gone far beyond Wall Street.
?They're worried about their jobs, they're worried about their house, they're worried about their small businesses, and the House of Representatives must listen to these voices and get this bill passed so we can get about the business of restoring confidence,? Bush said.
After the House rejected the original $700 billion rescue package on Monday, the U.S. Senate approved a ?sweetened? plan Wednesday night.
The new version of the bill includes billions of dollars worth of tax cuts and incentives added to get the votes needed to pass.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) said she and her colleagues are currently reviewing the expanded bill, but she remains optimistic.
?We're not going to take a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes,? she said. ?I'm optimistic that we'll take the bill to the floor.?
House leaders are expected to continue lobbying throughout the evening for about a dozen more supporters whose votes are necessary to pass the bill Friday.