The $700 billion financial rescue that the House will vote on today is a significant improvement over the drafts released last Friday, and the Friday before that. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the plan will eventually cost “substantially less” than the oft-quoted amount of $700 billion, and it even …
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 …
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 …
