WASHINGTON — President Bush has a to-do list awaiting Congress when lawmakers return from their Memorial Day recess.
“I hope members of Congress return rested because they have a lot of work left on important issues and limited time to get it done,” Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address.
On his work list for lawmakers: a war funding bill, intelligence legislation, veterans benefits, a free-trade pact and a nod to Steve Preston, his nominee for housing secretary.
“In all these areas, Congress has failed to act,” Bush said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebutted Bush’s claim that Congress isn’t getting its work done. She pointed to the economic stimulus bill passed by lawmakers.
Bush said Congress needs to pass a war funding bill that is not “loaded up” with unrelated domestic spending.
The Senate on May 22 ignored Bush’s veto threat and added tens of billions of dollars for veterans and the unemployed to his Iraq war spending bill. A majority of Republicans broke ranks with Bush on a veto-proof 75-22 vote while adding more than $10 billion for various other domestic programs. Bush has enough GOP support in the House to sustain a veto. The Associated Press
