AGENDA  (CONT)

"Earmark transparency is a good start, but I would also like to see us find common ground on Social Security, homeland security, extending tax relief and other major issues that we can't just kick down the road," McConnell told the AP.

Bush used the only veto of his presidency so far to reject a bill passed by Congress last year that would have expanded embryonic stem cell research through government funding.

Supporters of such research say it could lead to treatments and cures for a wide variety of ailments, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as well as spinal cord injuries. Bush and abortion foes, however, have opposed expanding embryonic stem cell research because the embryos die in the process of harvesting the stem cells from them.

Fratto said Bush gave the matter deep thought and consulted with researchers and religious leaders on the moral and ethical implications of his position. Reid said he hoped the president "will relent and see the light."

In the meantime, Reid said the Senate is "not even close" to having the two-thirds vote necessary to override Bush's veto but he hopes some Republicans will join the Democrats after the GOP's election losses this month.
He pointed to Missouri, where the issue helped pro-stem cell candidate Claire McCaskill defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Talent, who said embryonic stem cell research destroys human life at its earliest stages.

The midterm election came on the heels of several ethical scandals involving lawmakers, and Reid said reform is needed. He said "the first thing we do" will be to require lawmakers to put their names on "earmarks" - spending items added to bills that often help a specific company or project in their districts. Bush supports such transparency, Fratto said.

Citizens Against Government Waste, a taxpayer watchdog group, said there were 9,963 such projects in the spending bills for the 2006 budget year, costing $29 billion.

The third item at the top of Reid's agenda is increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. It's also one of several measures that Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has promised to bring to the House floor in the first 100 hours that chamber is in session. Fratto said Bush is willing to support an increase in the minimum wage, although he doesn't want to publicly debate the amount and wants to make sure it won't hurt small businesses.

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