Large Hedge Funds Warrant Registration And Disclosure, Says Sen. Reed

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said during a conference call Monday that large hedge funds warrant registration and discolsure.

"Size and risks have been a problem," said Reed. (0:15)
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Reed: Hedge Funds With Over $100 Million Should Register With SEC

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) explained that through an amendment he is introducing, hedge funds that have over $100 million in assests should be required to register with the Securities Exchange Commission.

Reed says that $100 million is an appropriate standard considering the current state of the market. (0:12)
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Sen. Reed Wants To Give Regulators Better Insight Into Private Investment

During a conference call Monday, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said he will soon introduce an amendment to the Senate’s financial regulatory reform bill aimed at closing loopholes within the financial sector.

“This approach is designed to give the regulators better insight about size, leverage, and risk-taking, in private pools of capital and I think that is going to be helpful," Reed said. (0:13)


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DISCLOSE Act Will Inform Public Who Is Financing Campaign Ads, Says Consumer Advocate

Craig Holman, a legislative representative for the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, says he supports the efforts of the DISCLOSE Act and claims it will give Congress and the public more knowledge as to who is financing campaign ads for candidates. (0:30)
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Citizens United President: Sen. Schumer Discourages Americans From Becoming Involved In The Political Process

David Bossie, President of Citizens United, claims Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said during a press conference that the goal of the DISCLOSE Act, which seeks to limit corporate spending for campaign ads, is to have fewer people participating in the political process. (0:28).
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McCain-Feingold Criminalized Political Speech, Says Citizens United President

David Bossie, President of Citizens United, claimed Thursday that McCain-Feingold criminalized political speech during his testimony before a Congressional panel. (0:12)
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Boehner: Recovery Act Has Created Debt, Not Jobs

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) once again criticized the Obama administration Wednesday for failing to improve the employment situation in the U.S. through the use of the Recovery Act.

“It’s time to get serious about job creation in America because all we’ve gotten out of the [Recovery Act] is a big pile of debt on the backs of our kids and grandkids,” Boehner told reporters. (0:09)
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Americans Deserve A Strategy For Energy Independence, Says Pence

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) emphasizes the need for U.S energy independence legislation after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20.

"“The American people deserve to know why the administration was slow to respond and why the necessary equipment was not immediately available to the region, and the American people deserve a strategy for energy independence that is built on giving the American people access to all of our domestic resources.” (0:21)

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Companies Need To Stop Betting Against Their Securities, Says Levin

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) said Tuesday that it is important to avoid letting institutions like Goldman Sachs hedge bets against securities they know to be weak but still sell. (0:38)
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Immigrants That Plot Terrorism Against Americans Sacrifice Rights Of Citizenship, Says Lieberman

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that naturalized citizens who participate in terrorism should not be given the rights of U.S. citizenship.

"If you have joined an enemy of the United States in attacking the U.S and trying to kill Americans, I think you've sacrificed your rights of citizenship," said Lieberman. (0:11)
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Lieberman Says Terrorism Suspects Need To Be Questioned Prior To Receiving Miranda Rights

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, expressed hesitation Tuesday with federal officials' decision to read Faisal Shahzad, who was apprehended Monday evening for a failed attempt to ignite a car bomb in New York’s Times Square on Saturday, his Miranda rights.

"The first thing you want to get from somebody like this is information about other co-conspirators, perhaps about other attacks that are planned at the same time, and then a judgment is made whether he should be read his Miranda rights," (0:17)
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TARP Tax Is 'Responsible And Prudent,' Says Treasury Secretary

During his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner cast levying a tax on large financial institutions as a "responsible and prudent" step in offsetting the costs incurred through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). (0:15)

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TARP Tax A Way To 'Dig-Out' Of Financial Mess, Says Geithner

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner cast levying a tax on large financial institutions as a significant step in offsetting the costs incurred through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).

“This was an expensive financial crisis. It caused a lot of damage to our long term fiscal position,” Geithner said Tuesday during his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee. (0:17)
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Congress Needs To Pass Legislation To Dissuade Employers From Hiring Illegal Immigrants, Says New Mexico Governor

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said during a summit with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday that Congress needs to pass legislation to dissuade employers from hiring illegal immigrants. (0:15)
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New Arizona Immigration Law Should Propel Congress To Act, Says New Mexico Governor

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) said that Arizona's controversial new immigration law should compel Congress to act on immigration reform and border security. (0:12)
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Labor Department Searching For Mine Safety Reforms

According to Labor Department officials, new employee safety guidelines can play a role in preventing mine disasters like the one that claimed the lives of 38 workers in West Virginia in early April.

“We are working hard to identify the reform pieces that are necessary to assure the nation’s miners that they can actually go to work everyday, come home every night, and do that for a lifetime through a mining career and retire at the end of the day healthy,” said Joseph Main, the Assistant Labor Secretary for Mine Safety and Health, during a panel discussion on labor rules at the Center for American Progress. (0:19)
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New Guidelines Will Give Employers Additional Responsibility Over Workers' Safety, Says Labor Official

Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris said that the Department is focusing on a new initiative titled “Plan, Prevent, Protect,” which requires employers to take more responsibility to ensure employee’s are safe at work.

“’Plan, Prevent, Protect’ aims to change the calculus, so that employers and other entities regulated by the Labor Department will take responsibility for employment law compliance,” Harris said. (0:09)
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Neglecting Safety Guidelines Harms American Workers, Says Labor Official

Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris says during a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress Thursday that the American worker pays the price of an employer's non-compliance to labor rules. (0:13)
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Only Financial Services Will Be Regulated By Consumer Protection Provisions, Says Dodd

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said Wednesday that consumer protection provisions in Wall Street reform legislation will only apply to institutions whose "principle business is in financial services and products." (0:13)
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Dodd: U.S. Will Face Another Economic Crisis, But New Bill Will Help

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who appeared with Reid, stressed that the bill needs to move forward, but also conceded that the bill will not completely rule-out the possibility of a second financial crisis.

“We can’t prevent another economic crisis from happening in our country, that will happen someday again,” said Dodd. “But we can minimize the impact of that crisis.” (0:19)
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