House GOP unites to kill ports deal

Republican House leaders last night split with President Bush and said they would derail a Dubai-owned company’s bid to take control of operations at six major U.S. ports.

“It is my intention to lay the foundation to block the deal,” said Rep. Jerry Lewis, California Republican and House Appropriations Committee chairman.

Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, said the rest of the House Republican leadership backed Mr. Lewis, who is expected to have his committee add to a must-pass emergency spending bill an amendment to block the DP World deal.

“We do not believe the U.S. should allow a state-owned company to run American ports,” Mr. Bonjean said.

Mr. Bush has said he supports the takeover and has promised to veto any legislation that would thwart DP World, which is owned by the government of Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates.

House Republicans and the White House “are not together on this issue at the moment,” said Mr. Lewis, adding that Republicans at the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue would continue talking.

House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said earlier in the day that his party’s rank and file is worried about the deal.

“Our conference is pretty excited about this issue,” he said, adding that the deal has become a “very hot political potato” and he would “like to see it go away.”

Republicans have expressed concerns since reports last month detailed how the administration had approved a deal to allow DP World to take control from a British company of operations at some terminals in the ports of Baltimore, New York, New Orleans, Miami, Philadelphia and Newark, N.J.

The administration already has agreed to a 45-day review of the deal. Several lawmakers have expressed concerns about the United Arab Emirates’ ties to terrorism, including that it was the home of two of the September 11 hijackers.

Mr. Lewis plans to offer his proposal during today’s scheduled markup of the supplemental bill for Iraq war and Katrina relief spending.

He was vague about the details of his proposal, which is still being drafted, but said it “makes certain that we’re protecting the security interests of the United States.”

The Appropriations Committee will vote on the spending bill today, and the full House is expected to vote on it next week.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, “We are committed to working with Congress” on the deal, adding that there are “many lines of communication open.”

She stressed that there is “a long way to go” in the legislative process and said the 45-day review should go forward.

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