Nearly 30 years ago, the government gave Chrysler a $1.5 billion loan guarantee to stave off bankruptcy. Obama's economic proposals, including a $3,000 tax credit for each new U.S. job that employers add and a 90-day ban on home foreclosures by companies participating in the federal bailout of Wall Street, drew sharp criticism from John McCain's campaign. The Republican nominee's top economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, criticized Obama for continuing to propose a rollback of the Bush administration tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers. The McCain campaign denied widespread reports over the weekend that McCain had planned, and then dropped, the idea of proposing new economic measures of his own Monday. Holtz-Eakin told reporters McCain would address the economy today and offer 'new specific measures' to address the crisis. Among Obama's goals, Furman said, was to pressure the Bush administration 'to do everything possible' to accelerate delivering the first $25 billion in loans for auto companies to retool to build new fuel-efficient cars. Department of Energy officials have said it could take a year or more to deliver the first loans -- too late to help the struggling Big Three, many auto analysts fear. McCain's top economic adviser also has called for faster delivery of the money, as did former Michigan Gov. John Engler, now head of the National Association of Manufacturers, in a speech Monday to the Detroit Economic Club. Also Monday, Engler was critical of McCain's decision to pull up stakes from Michigan to shift resources to states where the contest is closer. 'The pullout was handled poorly in virtually every way,' he said. 'I still think that Michigan is a state that should be in play in this election. But the pullout had almost an immediate negative impact in terms of the numbers here.' Ex-Ohio rep criticizes plansThe comments on aid to automakers come as the cash-starved companies endure new economic pressure from the credit crisis that has damaged the economy. Among the emergency measures Obama outlined on Monday was a call for the Treasury Department to buy troubled securities backed by auto loans, as well as the mortgage-backed securities that have gotten most of the attention during the crisis, an idea McCain also would consider. Holtz-Eakin and former Ohio Republican Congressman Rob Portman criticized Obama's plans in a conference call with reporters, saying the new spending -- on top of expensive health care and energy plans already proposed by Obama -- was too expensive. And they called Obama hypocritical for proposing a foreclosure moratorium, saying he had opposed a similar idea proposed by Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries; Obama aides said he had opposed an interest rate freeze in Clinton's plan and not the foreclosure ban. Obama's comments suggested that auto issues have not disappeared from the campaign, despite McCain's decision this month to pull out of Michigan. Obama's proposals were likely to have appeal in Ohio, where the industry's problems have been felt and where the race is tight. Auto officials praised Obama's remarks on the loan program. 'Expediting the direct loans from the Energy Department is very important, and we appreciate his continued engagement and strong support on the issue,' Ford spokesman Mike Moran said. Chrysler's John Mozella said: 'We appreciate Senator Obama's commitment' on the issue and said the company is encouraged by plans to speed the loans. Holtz-Eakin said in an interview Friday that McCain, too, wants the Energy Department to speed up the loans to automakers. 'We've been disappointed they've been talking about 18 months or more,' he told The News. He also said that the Treasury Department should consider using its authority to purchase bad auto loans to provide liquidity to auto finance companies. The Obama campaign suggested Monday that Congress could return to a lame-duck session after the Nov. 4 election. You can reach Gordon Trowbridge at (202) 662-8738.