Third District Congressman Dennis Moore is receiving some criticism of his support for President George W. Bush’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout initiative.

Moore’s challenger in the upcoming November elections, State Sen. Nick Jordan, a Shawnee Republican, and Moore’s fellow finance committee member, Rep. Tom Price, a Republican from Georgia, said they believed Moore’s vote was not representative of what Kansas residents in his district are looking for.

“I believe a $700 billion bailout is not proper at this time without first addressing the underlying problem and without reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” Jordan told Kansas Liberty.

Moore, he said, has accepted more than $30,000 from the two financial institutions. “Washington has done more to change Dennis Moore than Dennis Moore has done to change Washington.”

Price said he has served with Moore on the House Financial Services Committee the last four years.

“He has been a reliable vote with (committee chairman) Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi and I just don’t think that is representative of what I feel is the common sense of the Third District of Kansas,” Price told Kansas Liberty.

“What I think is most disappointing with Dennis Moore is we had a wonderful alternative on the table but he voted for a remarkably huge expansion of government and utilization of tax dollars that we really don’t have,” Price said.

Price added that  he thought a better route to solving the economic crisis could be found through HR 7223, legislation intended to “suspend the capital gains tax, schedule the government-sponsored enterprises for privatization, repeal the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, and suspend mark-to-market accounting requirements, and for other purposes.”

Rep. Moore's spokesman referred a reporter calling for a comment to the statement Moore issued defending his vote.

Moore said the bill would protect taxpayers and ensure expenditures were spread out to areas they were most needed.

“I urge Congress to remain in session until this economic crisis is addressed. I will continue working with any Republican or Democrat who is willing to put country before party, and our economic security before ideology,” Moore said in the statement. “We must put aside our differences and do what is in the best interest of our country. We owe the American people no less."