Now, the former governor is Mr. Bush's secretary of health and human services, and is pressing the president to permit taxpayers to finance research on stem cells.

The governor pressed the intercom button.

On the other hand, the governor has long been pressing to overhaul the entire state system of financing education.

The governor also pressed for a semi-representative government.

Both he and the governor are pressing for legislation to lift those limits.

In the session at the White House, when President Bush reported on progress of the war, governors pressed him to provide more money so they could guarantee health insurance for children.

Several Republican senators said that, in fact, the governor was privately pressing Mr. Bruno to either kill the bill or water it down severely, a claim the governor's office denied.

The governor pressed the phone closer to his ear, straining to hear every sound.

Mr. Pataki and other governors have been pressing the Bush administration to increase the federal government's share to more than 50 percent.

The governor and mayor each took aim at the teachers unions at M.L.K. Day events and pressed for a more stringent teacher evaluation system.