By NIGEL DUARA
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
IOWA CITY - Rep. Bruce Braley is getting plenty advice about how to vote on a financial bailout package.
The Iowa Democrat has taken two calls from his party's presidential nominee, Barack Obama, and has been encouraged to vote yes by both of the state's senators. Braley said many constituents have been calling and writing, too.
Braley opposed an earlier plan and said he may not decide this time until Friday, when the House votes on a bill approved by the Senate on Wednesday.
''My response was the Senate bill certainly moves much further toward providing relief on Main Street in Iowa as opposed to just focusing on Wall Street,'' Braley said.
Although hundreds of constituents have called Rep. Steve King, the western Iowa Republican said his colleagues aren't pestering him because he's spoken out against any bailout.
''It's not what you call a high-pressure environment here,'' King said. ''They see where I stand and they think I'm unlikely to change, so they leave me alone and go find some lower-hanging fruit.''
In his talks with Obama, Braley said they discussed the long-term effects of the bill and how an Obama administration would deal with it.
Braley said he's more likely to support the bill because of the inclusion of tax relief for some victims of Midwest flooding and other disasters. He also supports an increase on the cap on federal deposit insurance, from $100,000 to $250,000.
But Braley said it's still a tough decision.
''At this point, I'm keeping my options open until I hear from leadership whether the bill is coming here just as it is now, or whether there are any opportunities for further revisions,'' Braley said.
King said the new features aren't enough to win his endorsement.
''All the things that sweeten it up have to add up to $700 billion,'' King said. ''The $700 billion simply re-inflates the bubble, but it doesn't solve the problem.''
Fritz Chaleff, a spokesman for Rep. Tom Latham said Thursday night that Latham was still ''making up his mind'' on the bill and would comment after his vote Friday. Latham was the only other Iowa representative to vote against the package on Monday.