WASHINGTON — As the economic downturn deepens, congressional Democrats are turning up the heat on the White House and Republicans in Congress to respond more aggressively to the mortgage crisis when lawmakers return next week from their spring recess.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated Friday that he would bring a housing assistance package back to the floor Tuesday even though Republicans previously blocked it.
And Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, called on President Bush to intercede with Republicans in Congress.
"At the center of this crisis is housing -- that's at the bull's-eye -- and yet still the administration refuses to step up to the plate and do what's needed," Schumer said in a conference call with reporters.
He accused Republicans of taking a "Herbert Hoover-like attitude of do nothing, twiddle your thumbs while the economy gets worse."
The president gave no indication Friday that he intended to support additional federal intervention to help homeowners.
In a short visit to a nonprofit mortgage counseling center in Freehold, N.J., he praised the private-sector initiative running the operation.
"A lot of families are facing the frightening prospect of foreclosures," Bush said. "Foreclosures obviously place a terrible burden on a family, as well as they lead to losses for lenders and investors.
"And this affects our entire economy."
Democrats said that the voluntary, private-sector initiatives emphasized by the administration were inadequate to cope with the scale of the housing crisis.
"Today was a nice photo-op for the president, but touting the baby steps the administration has taken in the face of this tsunami of foreclosures cannot be mistaken for the type of bold action American homeowners need," said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).
In this election year, congressional Democrats, who have majorities in both houses, are eager to show that they are responding to what has become voters' top concern: the economy.
In a letter Friday, Reid urged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) not to block the housing bill, arguing that Republicans had shown more interest in the fate of banks and investment houses than the plight of ordinary people.
"Much of the federal government's responses to the housing crisis to date have addressed the problems confronting our nation's financial markets," Reid wrote.
