Geithner Feels The Heat From Both Sides Of The Aisle

By Sofia Sanchez-University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner faced strong, bipartisan criticism Tuesday during a hearing with the Senate Finance Committee over the president's proposed budget for fiscal year 2011.

Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) hit Geithner with questions about the AIG bailout.

"I want to give you a chance to set the record straight. Why did you believe AIG could not afford to fail?" asked Bunning.

Geithner responded "we believe that the failure of AIG would have been catastrophic to the stability of the financial system."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.VA) expressed his disappointment with the administration's proposed incentives for renewable energy, which Rockefeller said could hurt the coal power industry, a powerful player in his home state.

"Thank goodness this is the president's budget. it's staying power might be a week or two. We write the legislation," quipped Rockefeller.

Geithner responded, "we are very supportive of making significantly larger incentives and subsidies to encourage clean energy including clean coal." However, when asked by Rockefeller whether the support for the coal industry was included in the budget, Geithner conceded that it was not.

Interior Department Budget Slightly Down From Last Year

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar outined his department's 2011 budget on Monday.

"Our mission is as simple as it is profound: we protect America's natural resources and cultural heritage. The 2011 budget will allow us to carry out our stewardship responsibilities in a way that provides the American people the maximum value for their tax dollars and a fair return for the resources we mange in their name," said Salazar.

President Barack Obama proposed a $12.2 billion budget for the department for fiscal year 2011.

According to a statement released by the DOI, the administration's request for the DOI contains $750 million in reductions and terminations of lower priority programs and elimination of the one-time funding. The 2011 budget is $38.7 million or 0.3% below the level enacted by Congress for 2010.

Salazar said that his department's budget would include funds for protecting treasured landscapes and a new WaterSMART program that will sustain and manage America's resources for tomorrow.

Salazar also highlighted "the importance of honoring trust responsibilities and empowering tribal nations." His budget calls for a total of $2.6 billion to honor the nation's commitments to the American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Energy Department Announces New Nuclear Waste Commission

By Sofia Sanchez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday announced the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s nuclear future Friday.

According to a statement released by the DOE, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was called on by President Baracl Obama to develop a commission. This commission would provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

“Finding an acceptable long-term solution to our used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste storage needs is vital to the economic, environmental and security interests of the United States,” said former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), who is co-chairing the commission. “This will be a thorough, comprehensive review based on the best available science.”

Currently, there are two nuclear repositories located in the southwestern United States. Yucca Mountain, however, which was selected by Congress 22 years ago to store civilian nuclear waste, has been surrounded by controversy, and it is often the focus of many legal and political fights.

According to the committee, that location should no longer be an option to store nuclear waste. This raises questions over the repository located in Carlsbad, N.M., which, since opening in 1999, has received 60,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste from the country's nuclear defense facilities.

But since the administration has decided not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain site, Carlsbad may be the only option left.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Breaks Down Democrats' 2010 Agenda

By Laurel Brishel Prichard and Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) gave an overview Tuesday on what to expect from Democrats in 2010, which according to Hoyer will include health care, jobs, and whether Haitians will be allowed short term refugee status in the United States.

“The failure [of health care reform] is a fact, and we have to learn from it if we want to do better,” said Hoyer in a statement.

While the state of the health care bill is still unknown, Democrats have several options at hand: do nothing, try to pass a lesser form of the bill, pass the senate bill as is, or pass the Senate bill with the understanding that there will be corrections to the bill in another piece of legislation.

Hoyer said the Senate bill in its current state is not viable.

Many Democrats are hoping that President Barack Obama will address the next move in his State Of The Union address Wednesday.

Hoyer told reporters that jobs have not been on the back burner to health care. One of the first bills passed in 2009 was in regards to jobs, as was the last piece of legislation that the house put through. Also, Hoyer said, health care reform would could spur job growth.

“If health care is passed, it will help create 4 million jobs in the next decade,” said Hoyer.

Hoyer expressed sympathy for the Haitian community when asked if special exceptions will be allowed for Haitian immigration into the United States.

“I don’t want to pre-judge what will happen,” said Hoyer.

The United States has assisted in rushing through some adoptions of Haitian children in the time since the earthquake hit Haiti.

Experts Decry Full Body Scanners As 'Great Privacy Issue Of Our Day’

By Sofia Sanchez -Talk Radio News Service/University of New Mexico

A number of privacy experts speaking in D.C. Monday decried the use of full body imaging devices which, with Congressional support, could be implemented in airports nationwide.

“They are the great privacy issue of our day,” said Jeff Rosen, a privacy law scholar at Georgetown University during a press conference at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "With the promise of security we are willing to give up our privacy and this, in the long run, can be dangerous."

According to Rosen, full body scanners do not just violate an individual's privacy by essentially providing security officers with a nude depiction of a person's body, but are also ineffective. Rosen cited the machine's inability to detect low density substances, such as the ones used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian man accused of attempting to carry out an attack on Christmas day.

Security technology expert Bruce Schneier, who joined Rosen, explained that mechanisms like full body scanners have done less to thwart terrorism than one would think.

“For years I’ve been saying that exactly two things have made us safer since 9/11: reinforcing the cockpit door and convincing passengers that they need to fight back.”

Congress could pass legislation that would permit body scanners in airports only if there is a promise that no data will be able to be stored in the machines. The data would include the image of an individual's naked body which, if needed, could be accessed by a TSA employee with the right password.

Rosen argued that politicians feel the need to show the public that they are doing something to combat terrorism, but are really just making symbolic gestures.

“Is is too much to expect President Obama resist ‘feel-good’ security theater? The pressures are overwhelming. He’s got to appear to do something,” said Rosen.

The experts suggested that the U.S. should focus on investigation, intelligence and emergency response in lieu of new technologies.