Cash for Clunkers Passes House, Awaits Senate Vote

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a "cash for clunkers" bill last week by a vote of 298-199. The legislation would provide for rebates worth up to $4,500 for new-car buyers who trade in older, gas-guzzling vehicles.

The bill will now move on to the Senate, where a similar measure failed to reach a vote last week. Several attempts to attach cash-for-clunkers language to other legislation or win passage on its own has met with resistance from Appropriations Committee members and Senators pushing for a rider that would require higher fuel-efficiency standards.

The bill garnered bipartisan support prior to the House vote, despite opposition from Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). President Obama has endorsed such legislation as a way to stimulate flagging U.S. new-vehicle sales.