Manatee County's two congressional representatives split on the revised $700 billion bailout measure that became law Friday, with one supporting it just days after voting against it.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, was among 58 House members - 33 Democrats and 25 Republicans - who changed their minds and voted for the bailout four days after doing the opposite. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, voted against the measure both times.
Buchanan said he decided to switch his vote Thursday night, largely because of changes the Senate made to the package after the House defeated the original proposal Monday.
"The big difference between Monday and (Friday) is the Senate improvements," he said from his Washington office.
Among them were including the annual alternative-minimum tax fix, raising the FDIC-insured deposit limit to $250,000, and extending sales-tax deductions for income-tax purposes, he said.
Also swaying Buchanan's vote: Greater oversight of the bailout, both by Congress and an independent board.
Buchanan previously criticized the Bush administration's proposal, saying it was being rushed and did not offer enough taxpayer protection. He sang a different tune Friday after his office was bombarded with calls and e-mails from constituents, many of them seniors whose retirement nest eggs have plunged because of the financial crisis.
"This is not about Wall Street," he said. "True, there was a lot of fraud on Wall Street and we've got to take care of that, but this (bill) is about seniors, families, small business. Good or bad, we're all in this together. Doing nothing, we're risking a deep and painful recession."
Castor could not be reached for comment Friday, but posted a statement on her Web site that the proposal would do little to help the middle class and homeowners facing foreclosure.
"I could not in good conscience vote for a $700 billion Wall Street bailout that does not help middle-class families," she said in her statement.
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