The White House isn’t buying the Senate housing bill. As Benton Ives reports in Congressional Quarterly, President Bush is not too thrilled with the bailout proposal. Why? “The bill will likely do more harm than good by bailing out lenders and speculators and passing on costs to other Americans who …
The National Taxpayers Union released its 2007 “Taxpayer Score” yesterday. The annual NTU rating reflects a congressperson’s commitment to reducing federal spending, taxes, debt and regulation by analyzing every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy (including appropriations, authorization, and tax bills; budget target resolutions; amendments; and certain procedural votes that …
Reporting on the Senate’s new housing bailout bill, the New York Times claims “Senate Republicans, in particular, had felt compelled to move housing legislation quickly after the Federal Reserve’s intervention to avert the collapse of Bear Stearns.” Apparently these Republicans are determined to prove that limited government intervention in the …
Here’s a preview of the week ahead in Washington. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an2ZGW85Ad0[/youtube] Recent troubles with the financial and housing markets have lead to proposed action by Congress to help distressed homeowners and to find a government solution to the Bear Stearns collapse. Massive new billion-dollar handouts to aid homeowners and utilizing sweeping …
Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday threw her weight behind a plan by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) to authorize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) spend $20 billion in taxpayer money to guarantee up to $400 billion in questionable mortgages. Considering Sen. Barack Obama is already a co-sponsor …
The recent failures of Bear Stearns and the Carlyle Group, coupled with turmoil in the housing markets and overall pessimism about the economy, has Congress rushing to microphones to promise a legislative quick fix. Meanwhile, President Bush and the Federal Reserve are being second guessed by liberal economists for not …
The Washington Post solicited plans from each of the remaining presidential campaigns on what each candidate will do, if elected, “to solve the current crisis.” Gene Sperling wrote for Hillary Clinton, Dougla Holtz-Eakin wrote for John McCain, and Austan ‘I did not make reassurances to that Canadian” Goolsbee wrote for …