Welcome to the Domestic Policy Subcommittee’s website.
The Domestic Policy Subcommittee conducts oversight in many areas of government policy and business practice. Through investigations, hearings and reports, the subcommittee sheds light on waste, fraud and abuse, and identifies subjects for new legislation by Congress. The Subcommittee hopes to act as the eyes and ears of consumers, workers and small business.
I hope you will check back frequently for information on the work we are doing for the American people. Please email the Subcommittee with your comments and suggestions for topics to investigate.
Dennis Kucinich, Chairman
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today sent a letter to Representative Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, recommending that Congress inform the White House that it will not authorize the second $350 billion tranche of the bailout funds to the Treasury Department. The Financial Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing tomorrow examining oversight of the implementation of the bailout and of government lending and insurance facilities.
Congress established the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program on October 3, 2008 to deal with the financial crisis. One of TARP’s core functions was to prevent future foreclosures through the acquisition of mortgage-related assets, such as whole loans, mortgage-backed securities and other financial products, and the implementation of a plan to stem foreclosures on those loans. In creating TARP, Congress was aware of the efforts of the private mortgage servicing industry to prevent foreclosures, and committed an extraordinary sum of taxpayer funds to expand upon those efforts. On November 12, 2008, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced that TARP would not acquire mortgage-related assets. In light of this significant change in TARP’s mission, important oversight questions arise.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, today announced the witness list for the upcoming Subcommittee hearing “Is Treasury Using Bailout Funds to Increase Foreclosure Prevention, as Congress Intended?” The hearing will be held on Friday, November 14, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2154.
The leading Democrat and Republican of a House Oversight Subcommittee insisted on the testimony of a top Treasury official today. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Secretary Paulson insisting that Mr. Neel Kashkari, the Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability, testify before a hearing of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee on Friday, November 14, 2008. Congressman Kucinich is the Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee and Congressman Issa is the Ranking Minority Member.
On Friday, November 14, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2154, the Subcommittee will hold a hearing entitled, “Is Treasury Using Bailout Funds to Increase Foreclosure Prevention, as Congress Intended?” This will be the Subcommittee’s sixth hearing in the 110th Congress examining the foreclosure crisis and its solutions.