Media

"An economic stimulus plan worth up to $600 billion and including key elements of President-elect Barack Obama's plan for a greener, more energy-efficient economy will pass the House before the inauguration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted Monday."

Today, Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Paulson urging him to adopt accountability protections identical to those passed by the House last week in the Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act saying, "given the serious mistakes that senior auto industry executives acknowledge they have made in the past, such safeguards are absolutely necessary to ensure that taxpayers are protected and that the retooling of this critical industry proceeds as quickly as possible."

The letter:

December 16, 2008

The Honorable Henry Paulson

Secretary of the Treasury

Department of the Treasury

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Today, President-elect Obama's nominated Steven Chu for Energy Secretary, Carol Browner for White House policy coordinator for energy and climate issues, Lisa Jackson for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Nancy Sutley for Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Speaker Pelosi on the nominations:

Today, GAO released a report requested by Reps. Dingell, Rangel, Waxman, Stark, and Pallone on Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service (PFFS). The report finds that PFFS plans expose beneficiaries to serious financial risk, leaving them to bear much of the cost burden of their care. GAO also found that beneficiaries in PFFS plans disenrolled at an average rate of 21% compared to 9% for other Medicare Advantage plans.

Rep. Dingell:

President-elect Obama's selection of Shaun Donovan to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development reaffirms the new Administration's commitment to strengthening home ownership, increasing access to affordable rental housing, curbing predatory lending, improving public housing, and tackling the economic crisis by halting the rise in foreclosures.

As the highly respected and innovative leader of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Shaun Donovan brought together government leaders, housing advocates, and developers to protect and grow the city's stock of affordable housing. His leadership of Mayor Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace Plan serves as a model of smart and creative management to ensure that working families can find a place to call home even in one of the nation's most expensive housing markets.