Among those meeting with the president were J. Willard Marriott, Jr. of Marriott International, James P. Hoffa, Jr. of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Edward Sullivan of the Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and David Creamer formerly of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp.

"President Bush clearly sees that adequate insurance protection to cover losses stemming from terrorism is an integral part of our homeland security," says the Coalition to Insure Against Terrorism spokesperson Martin DePoy. CIAT consists of real estate industry associations and trade organizations who joined together to press Congress on the terrorism insurance issue. "The President is right to call on the Senate to finish the work that he and the US House of Representatives have done to ensure that our country's citizens have access to affordable, comprehensive terrorism insurance."

All relevant industries have spent the past few months pressing the Senate to pass terrorism legislation that would include the government picking up the excess tab on terrorism policies whose claims exceed a certain amount. The House of Representatives was successful in passing its version of the law, the Terrorism Risk Protection Act, before recessing at the end of last year. For the Senate, the sticking point appears to be the issue of payment caps for policyholders. Presently, the bill is not even scheduled for debate on the Senate floor.

It remains to be seen what effect the President's participation will have on urging the congressional chamber to act, but time is of the essence. "It is more than a little unsettling to note that roadways, public facilities, office complexes, stadiums and crucial elements of infrastructure that are part of our daily lives are not adequately insured against terrorist attack," DePoy adds. "The implications are staggering."