Troubled Asset Relief Program

Since the Wall Street bailout was signed into law last October, critics of the strategy have often been met with a central reassurance from leaders of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve: The taxpayer-funded rescue, these officials have said, is not a bailout at all, but an investment that could very well return the [...]

Earlier this week, Legistorm discovered that the House Clerk’s Office had posted lawmakers’ latest financial disclosure forms — scheduled for release Friday — a few days early. The Washington Post dug through the records yesterday to find that some of the top cheerleaders for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, which the House passed in [...]

As the Senate this week debates legislation placing the tobacco industry under the oversight of the Food and Drug Administration, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is proposing an amendment that would give every taxpayer an equal share in the 60 percent of General Motors just acquired by the federal government.
“It’s a pretty simple proposal,” Alexander told [...]

Over at TWI’s sister site, The Michigan Messenger, Eartha Jane Melzer caught former President George W. Bush’s first major domestic address since leaving office yesterday at the Economic Development Club of Southwest Michigan in the small town of Benton Harbor.
Eartha reports that while he refrained from directly criticizing his successor’s job performance, Bush echoed former [...]

As the Wall Street bailout nears its first anniversary, a risky aspect of the financial rescue has flown largely under the radar.

It’s not easy to recall, but the cornerstone of the administration’s policy to stabilize the banking system is the so-called PPIP — the Public-Private Investment Partnerships designed to help get troubled assets off the balance sheets of the nation’s banks. The idea was to use up to $100 billion in remaining Troubled Asset Relief Program [...]

From the foxes-guarding-the-henhouse department, Neal Wolin, who served as general counsel to the Treasury during the final years of the Clinton administration, was confirmed by the Senate last night to be deputy Treasury secretary under Tim Geithner. The approval came by unanimous consent.
There’s little doubt the department could use the help. In the midst of [...]

The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that recipients of Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout money are spending freely on lobbying Congress, while holding onto their government aid — but that’s not the whole story.
The AP noted that seven of the top 10 bailout beneficiaries spent more money on lobbying in the first quarter of 2009 [...]