Pelosi, Reid Have List Of Demands For White House Meeting

The regularly scheduled meeting between congressional leaders and President Bush is shaping up to be more of a showdown over how far the government should go in helping people struggling through the economic downturn.

The White House today signaled its opposition to the Senate housing bill, which will likely pass Wednesday, and House Democrats are planning a much more aggressive housing bill. So in advance of the White House meeting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have sent a letter to President Bush demanding he accept increases in unemployment insurance, more spending on infrastructure and incentives for alternative energy.

"We hope tomorrow’s meeting will launch a bipartisan process to address the short-term housing crisis and bring relief to families struggling to make ends meet, including creating high-paying jobs here at home," Pelosi and Reid wrote in their letter.

Check out the full copy of the letter after the jump. 

 
Continue reading post...