USA Today:
GM to pay U.S. $1B by end of month: “General Motors said Thursday that it will make another $1.2 billion loan repayment to the U.S. and Canadian governments by the end of this month.”
NASA pays sky-high $66 a person for seminar snacks: “The nation’s space agency paid the out-of-this-world price of $66 a person a day for bagels, cookies and juice at a conference, a report found.”
Politico:
2,000 House staffers make six figures: “Salary data show it’s possible to make an enviable living in Congress.”
Jobless benefits stalemate in Senate: “Dems may limit the extension to two weeks.”
Reed to head budget commission: “The Democratic Leadership Council CEO will lead the national fiscal responsibility and reform group.”
Washington Post:
Aggressive steps readied to tackle foreclosures: “Push takes direct aim at major cause of current wave of foreclosures — the spike in unemployment — by requiring lenders to be more forgiving.”
Bernanke: Fed may sell security holdings: “The Federal Reserve is open to selling some of the securities now on its books as part of its withdrawal from its unconventional efforts to prop up the economy, Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said Thursday, in a change of tone on how the Fed will execute its exit strategy from crisis-era interventions.”
OPINION: Fiscal pains of reform: Krauthammer: “It won’t be long before we’ll be paying European levels of taxation.”
New York Times:
Student Loan Overhaul Approved by Congress: “Congress voted to force commercial banks out of the federal student loan market, cutting off billions of dollars in profits in a restructuring of financial-aid programs.”
Wall Street Journal:
GDP Growth Revised Lower: “The surge in the U.S. economy at the end of 2009 was slightly less robust than first thought, rising 5.6% compared to a prior estimate of 5.9%. Corporate profits rose, but the pace slowed from the prior quarter.”
OPINION: The Government Pay Boom: “It turns out there really is growing inequality in America. It’s the 45% premium in pay and benefits that government workers receive over the poor saps who create wealth in the private economy.”
LA Times:
New mortgage modification rules would aid jobless: “Obama will propose giving some unemployed homeowners a three-month break on payments. Lenders would get incentives to reduce principal.”
The Hill:
Funding gap, rising debt put new focus on Social Security reform: “The odds for Social Security reform appear to be growing despite its status as the “third rail” of politics.”
Securitization forum looks for voice: “The industry behind asset-backed securities at the heart of the financial crisis is starting to cut a larger profile in Washington as Congress overhauls Wall Street regulations.”
