Bush, Congress clash over economy

The president chastises Democrats for not addressing soaring gas and food prices and the housing crisis.

By Gail Russell Chaddock | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the April 30, 2008 edition

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Washington - In the run-up to a high-profile update on the nation's economic growth Wednesday, President Bush and Congress clashed over who is to blame for delays in responding to top concerns of American families: soaring gas and food prices, a housing crisis, and the student loan crunch.

"I've repeatedly submitted proposals to help address these problems. Yet time after time Congress chose to block them," the president said at a Rose Garden press conference on Tuesday.

The solution for high gas prices is expanding production here at home, including opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to exploration and drilling – a move that would produce about a million additional barrels of oil a day, he said. He also called for building more refinery capacity and expanding the use of nuclear power.

In response, Democrats charged that the president and a Republican majority had six years to improve the nation's economic condition, including a looming energy crisis, and fell short. "Now, with less than a year remaining in his administration, the president is demanding immediate action," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a statement.

On Tuesday, a widely watched consumer confidence index fell to 62.3 percent this month, according to The Conference Board, the lowest it has been in five years.

The new clash with the White House comes as Democrats are scrambling to move housing legislation, a controversial farm bill, and the president's $108 billion war-funding request for this fiscal year. Last week, Senate majority leader Harry Reid called on committee chairmen to give him concrete suggestions for easing high prices at the pump this summer.

After recent successes blocking the White House on domestic-surveillance legislation and a trade deal with Colombia, House Democrats claimed that they had gained momentum in fighting for their own priorities.

After blocking a vote on a trade deal with Colombia this month, Speaker Pelosi told reporters that "the president has finally realized that the leverage has changed."

"That is the question: Who has the leverage? I think the president realizes now that we do," she said.

If so, Bush gave little indication of it in his press conference Tuesday. In response to a question, he restated opposition to any additional spending on the war-funding request. "I will not accept a supplemental over $108 billion or a supplemental that micromanages the war [and] ties the hands of our commanders," he said.

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