White House Says Auto Aid Bill Agreement Coming Today?

WASHINGTON, Dec 8, 2008; Reuters reported that The White House said it had made progress in talks with congressional leaders seeking to complete a rescue package for automakers and that a deal could be reached as early as Monday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration backed the idea of the president naming an "adviser" with the power to determine the automakers' viability and also supported a proposal that would give the companies about $15 billion in government loans if they showed a path to viability.

"Some progress was made over the weekend," Perino told reporters, but she added that a key sticking point was that the White House had not yet been shown the language of any proposed legislation.