Published: October 02, 2008 10:44 am            

MS--Meltdown-Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Both of Mississippi's U.S. senators, Republicans Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, voted against a bailout bill for financial markets.

Cochran says he's disappointed the Bush administration has not used existing powers to curb an economic crisis.

Wicker says the plan would put $700 billion of new debt onto taxpayers but do "absolutely nothing" to prevent similar problems in the future.

Wicker faces Democratic former Governor Ronnie Musgrove in the November 4 election. They're competing to fill the final four years of a six-year Senate term started by Trent Lott, a Republican who retired last December.

After Lott stepped down, Gov. Haley Barbour moved Wicker from north Mississippi's U.S. House seat to serve in the Senate until the special election.

        

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