federal // Current

Where Did All of the Money Go? House Demands Audit of the Federal Reserve

Ed Schultz interviews Florida Rep. Alan Grayson about Congress finally demanding more... more

rhondawinter
added this
4 days ago
|
0 comments

Iowa to recoup pharmaceutical overcharges

Nov 13 2009 DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa will recoup $4.3 million from pharmaceutical... more

PepsiJuror
added this
11 days ago
|
0 comments

Doctors For Obamacare – FFOC

Doctors really want Obamacare. Join the FFOC (Fizzicians For ObamaCare network today).... more

NewWarriorMan
added this
2 months ago
|
1 comment

"How Weed Won the West" Trailer #1

While California is going bankrupt, one business is booming. "How Weed Won the West"... more

AmericanDrugWar_com
added this
3 months ago
|
4 comments

'Cash for Clunkers' could be done at midnight.

DETROIT — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has alerted key senators that the Cash for Clunkers program is expected to run out of money as early as midnight tonight.

Earlier rumors suggested that the Department of Transportation could make an announcement this evening regarding the status of the Clunkers program and how close the program is to running out of its $1 billion allocation.

If LaHood's concerns are correct, the DOT could announce the program has run out of money completely or could suspend it temporarily while deals in the pipeline are completed and an assessment is made of how much has been spent, Washington sources tell AutoObserver.com.

A DOT spokesman said no announcement is scheduled, but if an announcement is made, it would be posted on the Web site for the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS).

From the start, the program called for a November 1 expiration or the depletion of the $1 billion in funding. It is clear the program will run out long before November 1 and could run out in a matter of days.

As of Thursday morning, the CARS Web site showed $779 million of the $1 billion remained. The roughly $220 million used represents transactions dealers have submitted for government reimbursement and administrative costs.

But dealers think the CARS.gov gauge is actually on empty. Dealers and dealer organizations are concerned they have far more transactions in the works for consumers to trade their clunkers for more fuel-efficient vehicles than the program has in funds, and dealers will be left holding the bag for the vouchers of up to $4,500 if the government funds run out.

"We don't know what we don't know," said one Washington source about how many deals are in the pipeline versus how much is left in funding.

On Wednesday night, sources said the National Automobile Dealers Association surveyed its dealers to gauge how many Cash for Clunker transactions they had in the works. The average number of working deals for the 1,900 dealers who responded amounted to nearly 14 transactions per dealer, with more deals qualifying for the top $4,500 voucher than the $3,500 voucher.

Of particular concern to dealers is fact that they must destroy the clunker and provide proof it has been destroyed before they can even apply for the government voucher. If the money runs out, the dealers must honor the deal and be out the reimbursement.

Inside Line says: Cash for Clunkers is over nearly before it began. — Michelle Krebs, Editor, AutoObserver.comDETROIT — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has alerted key senators that the Cash... more

TommyTooThumbs
added this
4 months ago
|
7 comments

Federal Minimum Wage Hike Takes Effect

The federal minimum wage goes up 70 cents today, from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour.

ebindelglass
added this
4 months ago
|
0 comments

Mysterious G-Men in Black SUVs Guard Fiber-Optic Cable in DC

A construction crew putting up an office building in the heart of congested Tysons... more

Tyrannous
added this
4 months ago
|
0 comments

Federal Court ruling on Lake Lanier goes against Georgia

In a case that threatens to have a huge impact on growth in metro Atlanta, a federal judge ruled against Georgia Friday in a legal fight over the allocation of water from Lake Lanier.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson declared that it is up to Congress to resolve a decades-long dispute between Georgia, Florida and Alabama over releases of water from Buford Dam overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

If federal lawmakers don’t settle the issue within three years, the court will roll back the releases to mid-1970s levels, meaning only Gainesville and Buford would be allowed to withdraw water from the lake.

“The court is sympathetic to the plight of the Corps, which is faced with competing and legitimate claims to a finite resource. Neither the Corps nor the court can make more water,” Magnuson wrote in a 97-page decision.

“However … the Corps’ failure to seek congressional authorization for the changes it has wrought in the operation of Buford Dam and Lake Lanier is an abuse of discretion and contrary to the clear intent of the Water Supply Act.”

Lawyers for Florida and Alabama have maintained throughout the case that only Congress can order changes in releases from the federally managed reservoir. Their Georgia counterparts have argued that the Corps has the authority to allocate the water that flows through Buford Dam.

While Lake Lanier represents a vital water supply to rapidly growing metro Atlanta, Florida has fought to keep enough water flowing through the Chattahoochee River system to maintain marine life on its side of the border. Alabama’s chief interest has been supplying a power plant along the river with sufficient water for cooling.

Magnuson sided with the two states’ contention that Lake Lanier’s original purposes included flood control and hydropower but that it was not intended as a water supply for much of metro Atlanta.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue criticized the ruling as based on “decades-old assumptions” about the role of reservoirs as water supplies.

“Our country has changed substantially since the 1940s, when many of these reservoirs were constructed,” he said. “I will use this opportunity not only to appeal the judge’s decision but, most importantly, to urge Congress to address the realities of modern reservoir usage.”

Georgia’s two U.S. senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, vowed to push for the congressional solution the judge is seeking.

“We will work tirelessly to reach an agreement that is in the best interest of Georgia while at the same time respecting the interests and concerns of Florida and Alabama,” they said in a joint statement.In a case that threatens to have a huge impact on growth in metro Atlanta, a federal... more