Bush Feeling Pressure On Ports
House Appropriations Committee Votes 62-2 To Block Deal
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Play CBS Video Video Vote To Block Ports Deal Republicans on a key House committee slapped down the president's plan to allow an Arab company to run six U.S. seaports, perhaps killing the deal for good. Sharyl Attkisson looks at what happened.
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Video Republicans May Kill Port Deal Unhappy with the port deal, Republican leaders in Congress are hoping to attach the unapproved transaction to a Katrina and Iraq spending measure that would require President Bush to veto the bill.
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Video GOP Defies Bush On Port Deal Only On The Web: Sharyl Attkisson reports on the decision by House Republicans to vote down President Bush's Dubai port deal during an election year.
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A security guard speaks to a truck driver entering Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, one of the six ports that would be affected if the Dubai Ports World deal goes through. (AP)
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Interactive Ports In The Storm Controversy over plan to transfer management of six U.S. ports to a Dubai-owned company.
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The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private among Snow, Frist and several GOP committee chairman. The Treasury Department oversees the multi-agency committee that initially approved the DP World takeover.
Republicans said it was possible senators would pass a simple symbolic statement in upcoming weeks that would put the Senate's view of the takeover on record without interfering with it.
Some senators said the House was acting prematurely because of the heat Republicans were taking from their constituents.
"To kill the deal without a comprehensive solution to port security is just living for the political moment," said Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
John Warner, R-Va., the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman who supports the administration's position, said he would use the next few weeks to try to convince his colleagues to let the DP World takeover go forward.
However, he acknowledged supporters "are few and far between."
On the House floor, Democrats failed for the second time in a week to force a debate and vote on legislation that would require congressional approval of the takeover after a 45-day security investigation.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been assailing the Bush administration for its decision to let DP World purchase Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation, a British company that holds leases at several U.S. ports.
The underlying $91 billion spending bill the House committee debated includes nearly $68 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $19 billion for hurricane relief and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast. The measure largely adopts Mr. Bush's request for the war, with most money for operations and maintenance, equipment replacement, and personnel costs.
The House measure includes $4.2 billion in hurricane aide that Mr. Bush requested for reimbursing homeowners who lost their homes, but does not follow his lead in setting it aside exclusively for Louisiana.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy 
