Democratic leaders in Congress said Thursday they do not expect to pass an immediate bail-out for the struggling US auto industry, citing opposition from Republican legislators, according to dpa. Christopher Dodd, a Democratic senator from Connecticut who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, said his party did not have the support for legislation to help the nation's three largest automakers, which are struggling to remain afloat amid a sharp downturn in car sales. "I want to be careful about bringing up a proposition that might fail," Dodd told reporters at the US Capitol, adding that they were likely to try again after president-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20. Democrats have been pushing for a 25-billion-dollar rescue and have suggested the money be taken out of the 700-billion-dollar bail- out package approved last month to address the financial crisis. On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson made clear the administration would not support such a move. Obama last week called the auto industry the "backbone of American manufacturing" and signalled his intentions to help the Detroit-based automakers under his presidency. President George W Bush's administration has been in talks for the last month with the so-called "Big Three" of General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC. But the White House and congressional Republicans have been skeptical about bailing out firms not specifically linked to the financial crisis.
