Obama's Agenda Dwarfs His Staff

(NEWSER) - The heat is apparently getting to Tim Geithner. At a meeting last week with high-level financial regulators, the treasury secretary indulged in a potty-mouthed diatribe about delays in the administration's highly touted plan to overhaul the regulatory system, declaring, "enough is enough," the Wall Street Journal reports. Attendees included Ben Bernanke, FDIC chair Sheila Bair, and SEC chair Mary Schapiro. More»

Terrorism pros handle health crisis

(NEWSER) - With key health posts in the Obama administration still vacant, the swine flu outbreak is being handled by a counter-terrorism specialist and a former governor, Politico reports. The administration still lacks a surgeon general and chiefs for the Food and Drug Administraion and Centers for Disease Control, and needs to fill 20 crucial positions—including the secretary of the agency—at Health and Human Services. Still, the White House contends it's prepared. More»

Treasury sec reluctant to free Goldman, others from constraints

(NEWSER) - Tim Geithner is warning Wall Street that he will consider more than banks' individual financial fitness when deciding whether they can pay back bailout funds—and escape from the strings attached to them. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury secretary says that the whole banking system, and in turn the wider economy, has to be considered before he'd allow Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and others to pay back their debts. More»

(NEWSER) - Judd Gregg’s flirtation with the top job at Commerce has brought the partisan battle over the US Census to the fore with just a year to go before before the official count, the New York Times reports. Most Americans may not think of the census as a political tool, but it helps determine representation, districting, and federal dollars. Republicans publicly suspect Gregg quit because the White House intends to take over the operation, something the administration denies. More»

Treasury nominee, at confirmation hearings, apologizes for tax missteps

(NEWSER) - Timothy Geithner apologized for failing to pay $34,000 in taxes today in his Senate confirmation hearing. “I should have been more careful,” the would-be Treasury secretary said, calling them careless, avoidable mistakes. When asked how he prepared the taxes he replied, “I will answer that, but I want to say I take full responsibility... It was TurboTax.” But senators aren’t likely to derail Geithner’s nomination over the snafu, the Wall Street Journal reports, for fear of economic backlash. More»