Bush 'open' to stimulus

President, with Fed Chairman Bernanke, willing to consider second stimulus package, though Congress is divided on how to implement it.

EMAIL  |   PRINT  |   SHARE  |   RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
By Richard Greene, CNN

Is the worst of the stock market meltdown over?
  • Yes
  • No

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush hinted Monday he would be willing to consider a second stimulus package, hours after America's top banker suggested one might be necessary.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Monday it would be "appropriate" for lawmakers to consider "a fiscal package."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said soon afterward that Bush is "open to ideas ... that would stimulate the economy."

The Bush administration has been resisting Democratic proposals for a second round of checks from the government to taxpayers, but Perino said the objections were to specific elements of the proposed programs.

"Several programs that have been recommended ... are coming in a cloak of being stimulative, and we don't think that those would actually stimulate the economy."

Bush met business leaders in Louisiana on Monday, and a reporter asked him afterward if he "supported the second stimulus package that Chairman Bernanke proposed today."

"Listen to Dana's quotes," the president responded.

Minutes earlier, he had said taxpayers could expect a return on the enormous sums of money the government is planning to pump into banks to ease a credit crisis.

"I can say this with confidence to the people out here, that I think we're going to get - be able to get most of your money back. And the reason I say that is because the government is really making investments."

He said many people were wondering "why a free-market-oriented president" was putting government money into buying shares in private-sector banks.

He said the magnitude of the crisis had forced his hand.

"The crisis that is gripping this country, and still has a grip on this country, affects the people around this table," he said.

Stocks surged Monday, pushing the Dow to close above the 9,200 level, as investors welcomed the talk of a second economic stimulus plan and an improvement in key lending rates.

CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano contributed to this report.  To top of page

Features
They're hiring!These Fortune 100 employers have at least 350 openings each. What are they looking for in a new hire? More
If the Fortune 500 were a country...It would be the world's second-biggest economy. See how big companies' sales stack up against GDP over the past decade. More
Sponsored By:
More Galleries
10 of the most luxurious airline amenity kits When it comes to in-flight pampering, the amenity kits offered by these 10 airlines are the ultimate in luxury More
7 startups that want to improve your mental health From a text therapy platform to apps that push you reminders to breathe, these self-care startups offer help on a daily basis or in times of need. More
5 radical technologies that will change how you get to work From Uber's flying cars to the Hyperloop, these are some of the neatest transportation concepts in the works today. More
Sponsors

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.