Wednesday, September 21, 2011

House disaster vote sets up showdown with Senate

The No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday the GOP-controlled House remains on track to pass $3.7 billion in disaster relief as part of a must-pass bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month, but first the party must overcome opposition from Democrats and some tea party Republicans.

Democratic leaders — including some who said last week they would back the stopgap measure — came out solidly against it Wednesday morning because it contains $1.5 billion in cuts from a government loan program to help car companies build more fuel-efficient vehicles. That money would pay for the most urgently needed portion of the disaster aid that's required to avoid a cutoff next week of Federal Emergency Management Agency relief to victims of Hurricane Irene, recent Texas wildfires and Tropical Storm Lee.

GOP leaders are also encountering opposition from tea party Republicans like Jeff Landry of Louisiana, who oppose the stopgap measure because it permits a higher spending rate than Republicans proposed this spring. The measure instead follows a hard-fought spending pact endorsed by GOP leaders and President Barack Obama.

Majority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., predicted Wednesday that the stopgap measure, commonly called a continuing resolution, or CR, will pass and head over to the Senate, where a battle with Democrats awaits.

"What you'll see today is a CR that will pass the House," Cantor said.

The fight with Senate Democrats involves how much disaster aid to provide and whether any of it should be paid for with offsetting spending cuts. FEMA has only a few days' worth of aid remaining in its disaster relief fund and an infusion of cash is needed by early next week. FEMA has already held up thousands of longer-term rebuilding projects like repairs to sewer systems, parks, roads and bridges, to conserve money to provide emergency relief to victims of recent disasters.

The House measure contains $1 billion in immediate aid for the 2011 budget year that's about to end and another $2.7 billion for the 2012 budget year beginning next month. The Senate measure totals $6.9 billion, with $804 million proposed for the last few days of fiscal 2011.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that once the stopgap measure passes the House, he'll move to substitute the Senate's more generous aid package for the House's version. It will take at least seven Republicans to join with majority Democrats to win the 60 votes likely required to defeat GOP blocking tactics. Ten Republicans voted with Reid last week to pass the stand-alone disaster aid measure, but their votes can't be taken for granted now. Tea party favorites like Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., were among those who voted with Reid last week, but the partially paid-for House version may be more to their liking.

In the House, Democrats are rallying against the measure because of accompanying cuts to an Energy Department program that subsidizes low-interest loans to help car companies and parts manufacturers retool factories to build vehicles that will meet new, tougher fuel economy standards. These lawmakers include House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and top Appropriations Committee Democrat Norm Dicks of Washington, both of whom had previously said he would support the measure.

Democrats say cutting the loan program could cost up to 10,000 jobs because there wouldn't be enough money for all pending applications.

"While the government has a responsibility to fund disaster response in places that were devastated by Hurricane Irene or other natural disasters, it is unconscionable to use funds designed to create jobs in manufacturing states to pay for it," Reps. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., said in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

They credited $3.5 billion of loan subsidies with supporting loans totaling $9.2 billion that created or saved 41,000 jobs in Tennessee, California, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have already received loans; Chrysler Group LLC is awaiting final approval of a loan.

A protracted showdown could ultimately lead to a partial shutdown of the government when the budget year ends Sept. 30. That's unlikely, however.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., predicted the conflict could be worked out in time for the Senate to make a Thursday night getaway to a weeklong recess. Such a scenario probably depends on Republicans prevailing.

"Congress always responds appropriately to disasters," McConnell said. "We're having a discussion about the appropriate way to do that, and I'm confident it will be resolved."

Reid, however, is spoiling for the battle. "We're not going to cave in on this," he said.

The underlying stopgap funding measure would finance the government through Nov. 18 to give lawmakers more time to try to reach agreement on the 12 unfinished spending bills needed to run government agencies on a day-to-day basis for the 2012 budget year that begins Oct. 1.

NATO airstrikes hit Gadhafi's hometown in Libya

NATO airstrikes pounded an area in Moammar Gadhafi's hometown Wednesday, fighters said, while revolutionary forces surrounding the city came under rocket fire.

Despite the continued fighting, Libya's new rulers said a new government would be formed within 10 days, as they struggle to assert control over the country and assert international legitimacy.

Mahmoud Jibril, the premier for the National Transitional Council, said most of the work has been done on forming a new Cabinet, but it was important to ensure national consensus on the issue. The NTC failed to agree on a list of ministers over the weekend, dashing hopes a new government would be in place before Jibril and NTC leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil left to represent Libya at the U.N. General Assembly.

Jibril said Tuesday in New York that he expects a new government to be formed "within a week, 10 days maximum from now," adding that the current political difficulties were not unusual for a "country which was absent from ... .any democratic culture."

He said "most of the work has been done" but one issue still to be decided was the number of ministries to be located in the capital. He said one option was to divide the ministries between the eastern and western parts of the country.

Gadhafi wielded near-total control over the North African nation for nearly 42 years before he was forced into hiding after months of civil war. The uprising — inspired by the successful ouster of autocratic leaders in Tunisia and Egypt — spread from the eastern city of Benghazi in mid-February.

Armed fighters still loyal to the fugitive leader have repelled anti-Gadhafi forces in Sirte, the mountain enclave of Bani Walid and the southern area of Sabha.

Government forces have made inroads against Gadhafi loyalists in Sabha, the gateway to a key road leading south to the border with Niger.

Abdel-Salam Sikayer, a spokesman for a local council in Sabha, said anti-Gadhafi forces largely have control over two neighborhoods and are fighting to overtake pockets of resistance.

He said 28 people, including three children, had been killed in fighting over the past two days — 18 on Tuesday and 10 on Monday.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya will continue as long as civilians are threatened. He urged Gadhafi loyalists to lay down their arms and join the new Libya, declaring, "the old regime is over."

NATO has launched over 8,750 strike sorties on Libya since late March. The latest strikes hit military targets belonging to Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, according to a NATO statement released Wednesday. The Western military alliance also said it struck targets Tuesday some 175 miles (280 kilometers) south of Sirte in Weddan, where revolutionaries suspect military weapons to Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte may be coming from.

Revolutionary fighters tried to push into Sirte, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast, over the weekend but were driven back by fierce rocket and gunfire. They pulled back to regroup, although the two sides exchange fire daily.

Akram Hameida, a 27-year-old fighter from the nearby city of Misrata, said he heard about 10 NATO airstrikes within about five to 10 minutes of each other on Wednesday afternoon. He said they appeared to be hitting close to the downtown area and airplanes roared overhead.

As he spoke, rockets fired by Gadhafi loyalists in the city rained down on a sandy rural area with scattered trees close to revolutionary force positions.

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