Skip to main content
Tags: FINANCIALS | BANKS | BANKING | POLITICS | GOVERNMENT | BARACK OBAMA | DEMOCRATS

Obama: Financial Reform Bill Isn't Another Bailout

Wednesday, 14 April 2010 11:21 AM EDT

President Barack Obama took issue with Republican efforts to characterize his proposed overhaul of financial regulation as a bailout bill.

"I am absolutely confident that the bill that emerges is going to be a bill that prevents bailouts," Obama told reporters at a meeting with top Republican and Democratic lawmakers at the White House.

Obama will try to turn up the pressure for an overhaul of Wall Street regulations as he meets lawmakers to discuss a sweeping package of reforms.

Republicans are seizing on a provision that would allow regulators to step in to dismantle large, troubled firms. They argue that would set the stage for "endless" bailouts of Wall Street, a claim the White House says is false.

The White House meeting includes Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican leader John Boehner. Obama's Democrats are represented by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer.

After a major victory securing landmark changes to the healthcare system, Obama is shifting to financial reform as his top legislative priority. Obama administration officials have argued that passing a financial reform bill is crucial to preventing a repeat of the 2008-2009 turmoil that led to the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s Great Depression.

"I do not think there is a tenable position that anyone could take ... that says we don't need to fix the system, to reform the system," U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a panel discussion on Tuesday. "Look at the devastation caused by the financial crisis. Look at the damage it did to the lives of millions of Americans."

But a big fight looms as Senate Democrats seek to pass a final bill by the end of this month. The House passed a version of the measure in December.

Obama needs at least some Republican help to pass it in the Senate and is targeting moderate Republicans such as Senators Judd Gregg and Bob Corker, who have signaled some willingness to work on a bipartisan bill.

"We think this is a choice that each individual Republican is going to have to make," White House deputy communications director Jen Psaki said.

Describing the purpose of Wednesday's meeting, Psaki said, "We wanted to bring all parties to the table to have a conversation about how to move forward toward a strong bill."

At stake are the shape and profitability of the financial services industry for years to come, as well as the U.S. economy's ability to withstand future financial crises.

In addition to creating a "resolution authority" to wind down failing financial firms, the bill would toughen oversight of banks and capital markets and beef up protections for consumers of financial products.

But the question of what to do about "too big to fail" financial firms has emerged as a central issue in the debate.

The Obama administration says the resolution authority is needed to prevent a repeat of the global market catastrophe that followed the September 2008 collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers and the near-failure of insurer AIG.

McConnell admonished his fellow Republicans against passing the Democratic version of the bill and took aim at the resolution authority provision.

"It provides for an endless taxpayer bailout of Wall Street banks," McConnell said, adding that was "the one thing the American people have said they don't want to happen again."

In a blog posting on the White House website, Psaki labeled such criticism "false" and accused Republicans of attempting a poll-tested political strategy of trying to link the bill to the unpopular $700 billion rescue of Wall Street passed during Republican President George W. Bush's administration.

"The Senate bill explicitly mandates that a large financial firm that faces failure will be allowed to fail, and it explicitly prohibits the use of any funds to 'bail out' a failing firm," Psaki said. "Large financial firms, not taxpayers, will be required to bear the costs."

© 2025 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.

StreetTalk
President Barack Obama took issue with Republican efforts to characterize his proposed overhaul of financial regulation as a bailout bill. I am absolutely confident that the bill that emerges is going to be a bill that prevents bailouts, Obama told reporters at a meeting...
FINANCIALS,BANKS,BANKING,POLITICS,GOVERNMENT,BARACK OBAMA,DEMOCRATS,REPUBLICANS,REFORM,REGULATION,CRISIS,BAILOUT,CREDIT,DEBT,SUBPRIME LENDING,WALL STREET,WHITE HOUSE,FEDERAL RESERVE,CENTRAL BANKS,STOCK MARKET,OUTLOOK,TREASURY,TIMOTHY GEITHNER
656
2010-21-14
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 11:21 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved