The White House has said that there was no deal yet on an emergency rescue plan for troubled US automakers, amid a dispute with the US Congress on the firms' long-term plans for survival.
"We're reviewing draft legislation we received this afternoon and are continuing our discussions with Congress," spokeswoman Dana Perino said yesterday after lawmakers unveiled a proposed $15 billion blueprint.
Perino, who earlier had said a deal with lawmakers was "likely" yesterday, said talks in recent days had yielded "a lot of progress" towards legislation "automakers restructure and achieve long-term viability".
She made no mention of a deal, however, and a senior administration official who requested anonymity said a deal yesterday was unlikely and that the White House and the Democrats who control the US Congress were at odds on the issue of viability.
US President George W Bush said that "the definition of viability is open to discussion", and that "viability means that all aspects of the companies need to be re-examined to make sure that they can survive in the long term.
"It include an analysis of business plans, dealerships, product lines, and labour contracts as well as the internal dealings of the company," he told ABC television in an interview.
"Hopefully we'll get something done," said Bush. "These are important companies, but on the other hand, we just don't want to put good money after bad."
"Long-term financing must be conditioned on the principle that taxpayers should only assist automakers executing a credible plan for long-term viability," Perino said in a statement.
