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NEWS ABOUT: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

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Homeland Security Hiding Its Emails: Insiders

Employees concerned over lengthy vetting process for internal records

(Newser) - Homeland Security insiders spent months complaining that top Obama appointees were improperly delaying the release of potentially embarrassing files sought under the Freedom of Information Act. In a raft of uncensored emails obtained by the AP , insiders called the vetting process “meddling," "crazy" and "bananas!”... More »

Issa to Big Biz: What Can I Do for You?

Eric Cantor says removing rules a major part of GOP agenda

(Newser) - Darrell Issa saved lobbyists some time last month: he went to them. The incoming chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent more than 150 letters to various industry groups and businesses, asking what regulations they think inhibit job growth, Politico reports. Democrats bemoaned the move, but Eric Cantor... More »

Military Handed Shady Kyrgyz Firms $1.4B

Companies possibly run by corrupt, deposed despots

(Newser) - The Pentagon has doled out $1.4 billion in no-bid contracts to a pair of mysterious foreign companies with alleged ties to Kyrgyzstan's corrupt ex-president, the military's main supply agency confirmed for Newsweek . The companies, Mina Corp. Ltd. and Red Star Enterprises, provided fuel for the US air base in... More »

Lawmakers Push for 'Potty Parity' in Washington

Old federal buildings don't contain enough ladies' rooms

(Newser) - A couple of male lawmakers struck a blow for women's rights yesterday—the right to equality in bathrooms, that is. The “Potty Parity Act,” introduced in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is the work of chairman Edolphus Town, who says he’s bothered by the “... More »

Feds Question 'Runaway Prius' Driver's Story

Investigators can't replicate incident; brake-wear patterns inconsistent

(Newser) - Investigators have not been able to replicate the incident of uncontrolled acceleration a Prius driver says he experienced last week, and the condition of the car's brakes is raising suspicions with federal investigators and Toyota engineers, the Wall Street Journal reports. James Sikes said he lost control of his car... More »

Toyoda: 'We Pursued Growth' Over Safety

Toyota CEO is 'deeply sorry' for accidents that may have killed 39

(Newser) - Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is on Capitol Hill today to make amends for the safety issues that have plagued his company’s cars and are tied to 39 traffic fatalities. Toyoda told the House Oversight Committee that the automaker’s priorities had become confused. “We pursued growth over the... More »

Hackers Vandalize 20+ House Websites

About 20 sites replaced with the statement, 'Fuck Obama!!'

(Newser) - Hackers attacked more than 20 House websites last night, replacing their entire contents with the message: “FUCK OBAMA!! Red Eye CREW !!!!! O RESTO E HACKER!!! by HADES; m4V3RiCk; T4ph0d4 -- FROM BRASIL.” Many of the sites hit belong to Democratic freshman, but senior members and Republicans were hit... More »

House Grills Geithner on AIG

Treasury Secretary defends big bailout as necessary

(Newser) - Timothy Geithner defended the AIG bailout he helped engineer today, in testimony before a House Oversight Committee that was out for blood. “In effect, the taxpayers were propping up the hollow shell of AIG,” declared chairman Edolphus Towns, “and the rest of Wall Street came by and... More »

Geithner Will Testify on Secretive Bailout Deals

House committee wants answers on his role on AIG contracts

(AP) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will testify Jan. 27 before a House probe into his role in deals that sent billions of bailout dollars to Goldman Sachs and other big banks. The committee wants to know why the Federal Reserve Bank of New York—which Geithner headed at the time—paid... More »

House to Probe 'Outrageous' Citi Tax Break

Kucinich calls IRS ruling 'a farce'

(Newser) - Citigroup is receiving an "outrageous" $38 billion tax exemption because the government hasn't got a clue how to juggle its dual roles of shareholder and tax collector, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich charged yesterday. He vowed that his domestic policy subcommittee of the House oversight committee will demand answers from... More »

Congress, BofA Clash Over Merrill Secrets

Bank insists merger talk protected, Towns issues spill deadline

(Newser) - Bank of America claims it doesn't have to produce details about its decision to merge with Merrill Lynch because the conversations are protected by attorney-client privilege. But the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee begs to differ, reports the New York Times. The showdown peaked last week... More »

Geithner Warns of Long, Hard Road Ahead

Administration a long way from saying 'mission accomplished' on financial crisis

(Newser) - The economy is no longer on the brink of the abyss but there's a long way to go before recovery takes hold, Tim Geithner warned yesterday. The Treasury secretary told a congressional committee that while the financial system is showing signs of better health, regulation of the financial system needs... More »

Bernanke Denies Threatening BofA Boss Over Merrill

He battles accusations that he strongarmed he company

(Newser) - On Capitol Hill today, Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke denied he threatened the job of Bank of America’s CEO when Ken Lewis hesitated on the Merrill Lynch merger last fall, CNNMoney reports. “I did not tell Bank of America’s management that the Federal Reserve would take action... More »

Pentagon Drops Ball on Contractor Oversight: Report

Says tens of billions in contracts lack decent US supervision

(Newser) - Though US defense contracting has reached “unprecedented proportions” in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Defense Department isn’t adequately monitoring the contracts, according to an independent watchdog. A report to be presented to Congress tomorrow says the government lacks central records showing the identities, activities, and pay of some 240,... More »

TARP Manager: Let's Not Micromanage

Banks can't make bad loans for lending's sake, says Kashkari

(Newser) - Neel Kashkari, the man who manages the Troubled Asset Relief Program, doesn’t think the government ought to try to make decisions for the banks it helps, he told lawmakers today. “However well-intended, government officials are not positioned to make better commercial decisions than lenders,” he insisted. He... More »

Fannie, Freddie Brushed Off Subprime Warnings

Companies ignored risk experts for years

(Newser) - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can’t say they weren’t warned. Internal documents obtained by the Washington Post show that both companies had internal factions who stressed the dangers of subprime mortgages several years ago. At Freddie Mac, the former chief enterprise risk officer wrote that the loans could... More »

AIG Execs Took Spa Week After $85B Bailout

Former CEOs appear before skeptical House to defend spending

(Newser) - After being bailed out by Washington, AIG executives engaged in some conspicuous consumption, and it’s still going on, Portfolio reports. Two former CEOs of the insurance giant testified before the House today, and lawmakers took them to task for reckless compensation and an executive retreat at a California spa... More »

'Creative' Bush Order Shields Cheney from Plame Probe

Cheney's FBI interviews kept from Congress with executive privilege claim

(Newser) - President Bush has invoked an unprecedented executive privilege claim to bar FBI interviews with Dick Cheney from a congressional committee probing the leak that exposed Valerie Plame as a CIA agent, Newsweek reports. The Bush order argues that turning over the records of Cheney's grilling concerning the scandal would violate... More »

White House in Loop on Troubling Iraq Oil Deal

Bush crony's Kurdistan deal undermined Baghdad government

(Newser) - The State Department was fully aware that a Texas firm linked to President Bush planned to sign a controversial Kurdistan oil deal that undermined the Iraqi government, reports the New York Times. Documents released by a congressional committee yesterday reveal that Hunt Oil—run by a close associate of the... More »

More White House Links to Abramoff Revealed

Lobbist had closer ties to administration than its report admitted

(Newser) - The White House didn't go far enough in probing its links with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a new report from a House committee. The report reveals 70 more contacts between Abramoff's team and White House figures than had been previously acknowledged—including four extra meetings with President Bush,... More »

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