taxpayer money news stories on Newser

GOP Files Ethics Complaint on McCaskill

Matt Cantor — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:45:04 CDT

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is the target of a GOP-filed ethics complaint over her personal plane, Politico reports. McCaskill has acknowledged that she mistakenly used taxpayer money to cover the cost of one purely political trip last year, and she reimbursed the Treasury Department for it last week. Today, Missouri...

Taxpayers Footed Fannie, Freddie's $160M Legal Bill

Matt Cantor — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:48:48 CST

Taxpayers have spent more than $160 million defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in fraud lawsuits since the government took over the companies in 2008. The closely guarded cost was released last week after Rep. Randy Neugebauer requested the figures last year. Some $132 million of the total went to...

Haley Barbour Takes Heat for Posh Jet Trips

Matt Cantor — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 07:56:52 CST

Haley Barbour jets around on a classy Mississippi state jet—but not all the governor’s trips look like state business, Politico finds. He also uses the 12-seater Cessna, funded largely by tax dollars, to attend fundraisers for other Republicans, to appear on Meet the Press and Face the Nation (other...

20+ Lawmakers Hit Copenhagen on US Dime

Will McCahill — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:52:00 CST

More than 20 members of Congress hit the Copenhagen climate conference last month, a CBS investigation finds—and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, which was in charge of the guest list, is being shifty about what it all cost. Of the fact that lawmakers (and some wives) commandeered three military...

Obama Budget Likely to Include Bank Fees

Harry Kimball — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:07:07 CST

The Obama administration will likely include a provision in next month’s budget that imposes fees on banks in an effort to make back some of the taxpayer money lost on the bailout and close the record deficit. Politico has it that a transaction tax is not on the table; while...

US Reaps Profit as Banks Pay Back TARP Funds

Jason Farago — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:38:28 CDT

When the government spent some $240 billion last year to help avert financial disaster, the idea of making a profit from the TARP funds invested in teetering banks looked like a long shot. Now, however, profits from eight banks who’ve paid back the cash have totaled some $4 billion, or...

TARP Watchdog: Bailouts May Cost US $24T

Harry Kimball — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:41:02 CDT

The special inspector overseeing Treasury’s TARP program says federal assistance to banks and other financial entities could end up costing taxpayers $23.7 trillion, Bloomberg reports. Aside from the $700 billion bailout, Neil Barofsky says in testimony prepared for told Congress tomorrow, other trillion-dollar federal programs could balloon. “TARP has...

Another UK Lawmaker Suspended Over Expenses

Kevin Spak — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:17:18 CDT

Britain’s Labour Party has suspended David Chaytor, the latest lawmaker caught up in a widening expense account scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports. Chaytor reportedly claimed $20,000 in interest on a mortgage that was already paid off. Chaytor has said he made an “unforgivable error in my accounting procedures for...

UK Minister Resigns in Expense Flap

Katherine Thompson — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:13:31 CDT

Britain’s justice minister resigned today amid a furor over a sketchy rental agreement, the first MP to do so following the revelation of excessive expenses charged by members of parliament to taxpayers, the Telegraph reports. Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched an investigation into whether Shahid Malik breached conduct codes in...