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US Senator Jeffords To Leave GOP
US Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont stepped to the brink of a historic party switch Wednesday, triggering an intense effort by Republicans to keep him in the GOP fold and preserve their ability to advance President Bush's legislative agenda.
Jeffords informed associates and aides during the day he would become an independent, according to officials familiar with the conversations, and the veteran moderate lawmaker flew to Vermont Wednesday evening for a morning announcement about his political plans.
Before leaving, he met twice in the Capitol with Republican lawmakers who beseeched him not to go through with a planned a switch that would break the 50-50 tie in the Senate, leave Democrats in control and greatly complicate Bush's efforts to enact legislation and place conservative judges on the federal bench.
On Tuesday, Jeffords told Bush in an Oval Office meeting he was no longer comfortable in a party that has become steadily more conservative in recent years, according to officials familiar with the conversation.
In the hours since, Senate Republicans said Jeffords had been offered a seat at their leadership table, more money for favored education programs and a waiver of term limits to let him remain chairman of the Education Committee beyond the end of next year if he would remain a Republican.
At the same time, Senate aides also said Jeffords had approved staff meetings with Democrats to discuss preparations for taking over the chairmanship of the Environment and Public Works Committee, the post Democrats were offering if he would bolt the GOP.
A switch would elevate Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota to the powerful post of majority leader, with control over the flow of legislation and nominations ¡ª Supreme Court appointments among them ¡ª to the Senate floor.
An unprecedented power sharing agreement in effect since the 50-50 Senate was sworn in last winter would automatically dissolve, and Democrats would displace Republicans as committee chairmen.
Party switches are rare in Senate history, and a change that terminates one party's majority is unprecedented.
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