WASHINGTON — Saying the nation's economy is on the line, congressional leaders are pushing for a vote today on a $700-billion plan to end the financial system's paralysis and protect taxpayers from having to bear the cost.
The 110-page bill that goes to a House vote today and a Senate vote as soon as Wednesday contains key measures demanded by both parties. Among them: curbs on executive pay, an oversight board and a chance for taxpayers to share in potential gains.
"No longer will the U.S. taxpayer bail out the recklessness of Wall Street," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).
The plan builds on the Bush administration's original three-page proposal to buy up securities tied to troubled home loans. The huge losses from these securities have brought the financial system to its knees -- pushing giant investment banks into collapse, making credit harder to obtain and roiling global markets.
Still, despite the endorsement of the leaders of both parties, the deal faces strong opposition, and it remained unclear Sunday whether it would have enough votes to pass.
At the center of the rescue plan are two programs designed to buy up and establish prices for the mortgage-backed assets. One program would permit the government to purchase the troubled securities and hold them until they regain value, and the second would set up a government insurance program to guarantee the value of some assets.
Lawmakers worked hard to dispel the popular impression that the plan would rescue wealthy financiers who made fortunes pushing tricky investment schemes and stick ordinary Americans with the bill.
"You've heard all this hyperbole . . . that we're throwing $700 billion at Wall Street. That simply isn't true," said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and one of his party's lead negotiators. "We may lose some money, we may break even or we may make some money. My gut tells me we'll make money."
Presidential nominees Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) both tentatively endorsed the plan in appearances on Sunday news programs.
"This is something that all of us will swallow hard and go forward with," McCain said on ABC's "This Week." "The option of doing nothing is simply not an acceptable option."
"[If] this is not going to be welfare for Wall Street, then my inclination is to support it because I think Main Street is now at stake," Obama said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "This could affect every sector of the economy."
