House Committee Votes to Block Dubai Ports Deal
President Bush must be hopping mad today. By a vote of 62-2, the House Appropriations Committee voted to jettison the Dubai Ports deal:
The House Appropriations Committee defied President Bush this evening, voting overwhelmingly to scuttle a deal giving a Dubai company control of some major seaport operations without awaiting the outcome of a 45-day review of potential security risks.
Representative Jerry Lewis, the California Republican who is chairman of the panel, made good on his threat to keep the port terminal takeover from going forward. He added an amendment blocking the transaction to an essential emergency spending measure that provides money for the war in Iraq and for Hurricane Katrina recovery. "It is my intention to lay the foundation to block the deal," he said Tuesday.
Bush has promised to veto any legislation blocking the deal. But, because the amendment is tacked on to an Iraq/Afghanistan funding bill, he may change his mind.
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