Yesterday before the Joint Economic Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a clear case as to why federal action is needed: home mortgages and car loans had become harder to get, commercial credit was becoming scarce for many businesses and consumer spending had already declined. Leaders in both parties …
There is no doubt that past government intervention in the market, particularly by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is largely to blame for the current financial turmoil. And while past government intervention cannot be used to justify further government interference, we also have to ask how much unnecessary pain the …
Heritage’s Lisa Curtis explains why Congress must move quickly to implement the US-India Civil Nuclear Deal. The deal would stregnthen US-India relations. India is a key Asian partner that shares our democratic values and political concerns. If this deal is not passed soon, it will have to wait until the …
The $700 billion that Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is requesting from Congress to restore liquidity in the financial markets is a breathtaking sum of money. But it is also important to remember Paulson has already committed $200 billion to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The size of their bailout …
As a general principle, conservatives believe government should not intervene to protect those who have made poor business decisions — even if those decisions have been influenced by excessive government regulation. But there can be rare situations where the cumulative effect of many bad decisions in one sector of the …
The following language was circulated on Capitol Hill this morning as Treasury’s plan to purchase residential or commercial mortgages. Heritage released eight goals and strategies that should guide lawmakers during the debate this coming week. LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS Section 1. Short Title. This Act …
Heritage’s Rea Hederman discusses three problems with the proposed Economic Stimulus Bill currently before Congress. In July, the Bill was projected to cost $25 billion dollars. Since then, the projected cost has doubled due to spending projects that should have been taken care of with the Budget process. The Bill …
Dr. James Jay Carafano explains three simple ways Congress can improve Homeland Security. This is an issue that effects everyone and every member of Congress should be interested in it. It also effects every level of Government – Local, State, and Federal. Currently, there are 85 Committees overseeing the Department …
