House eyes $2B drawn from stimulus to fund ‘cash for clunkers’

The House and Senate will take up efforts to provide funding for the hugely popular “cash for clunkers” program, lawmakers signaled Friday.

The House will consider $2 billion to fund the fuel efficiency program, which burned through its nearly $1 billion budget after only six days of availability to consumers.

The House will vote on the bill as early as today, according to one House Republican Source. The funds will be drawn from re-directed stimulus funds, though it is not clear which programs will be targeted.

The Obama administration has worked with members of Congress to quickly supply more funding for the environmental rebate program, which llows consumers to trade in less fuel-efficient vehicles in exchange for vouchers for new, more environmentally cars, had run out of money after less than a week in existence.

Members of the Michigan congressional delegation met at 9:00 a.m. this morning to discuss options to fund the program.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Friday morning that the White House had assured Michigan lawmakers that the program would continue to be honored fore the foreseeable future, and signaled that additional funds to extend the program may be sought.

“We have been told by the White House that people can keep buying cars under the program until further notice,” Levin said in a statement. “We don