Carney Criticizes Romney's Foreclosure Stance

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called out Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his stance against government intervention in the home foreclosure process.

“There is no simple fundamental restructuring that will wipe away the damage done by the bursting of the housing bubble,” Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One Monday. “What we firmly do not believe is that the answer is not to simply let the housing market bottom out and let investors come in and fix the problem.

Added Carney, “That’s not a solution. That’s a solution that basically says to middle-class Americans who have been responsibly paying their mortgage and who, through no fault of their own, have seen their economic situation get quite desperate because of the prices in the housing market that you’re on your own — tough luck.”

As Carney concluded his remarks, a reporter questioned whether his comment was a specific response to Romney’s proposal in Nevada last week that the home foreclosure process should be allowed to “run its course and hit the bottom.”

“I have heard that Governor Romney said something like that, yes,” Carney responded.

"We Can't Wait" Will Do Little To Help Homeowners, Charges House GOP'er

Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) declared Monday that the White House’s “We Can’t Wait” initiative has come along too late to help struggling homeowners.

As part of this new effort, the Obama administration announced a series of fresh housing refinancing opportunities to help those homeowners who are financially incapable of refinancing their mortgages.
 Mchenry, Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs, however, has stated that this new policy will do little to help homeowners.

“Today’s announcement by the President is just another step in the floundering strategy of an administration that has been grossly incapable of providing meaningful solutions to help struggling homeowners,” McHenry wrote in a press release. “When it comes to this administration’s housing policies, the time to act has long since passed. More than 6 million Americans are behind on their mortgage payments or facing foreclosure and the policies of this President have done more harm than good.”

The new housing refinancing options, meant to supplement Obama’s Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP), will reduce refinancing costs and allow easier eligibility for refinancing among other changes.

Education Secretary Urges Federal Workers To Help Charities

By Mike Hothi

Education Secretary Arne Duncan stressed the importance of supporting fundraising efforts for underserved communities during a Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) luncheon Monday, urging employees of the federal government help the CFC reach its $67.2 million fundraising goal.

“These are really tough times. We need to do whatever we can to show how much me care,” said Duncan.

The CFC is a charity that solicits contributions from federal employees and has helped over four thousand nonprofits across the country.

“These kinds of programs, these kinds of campaigns make a huge difference in communities that are underserved,” Duncan said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the CFC and there are only 8 weeks left before the December 15th cutoff date for soliciting. The CFC is the only charity that is authorized to solicit employees in the federal workplace. 

Lawmaker Invites Voters To Question Clinton Ahead Of Hearing

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) is inviting members of the general public to submit questions to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before she testifies at a House hearing on Thursday.

Clinton will be grilled by members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — which Ros-Lehtinen chairs — during a hearing entitled, “Afghanistan and Pakistan: Transition and the Way Forward.”

In a statement, Ros-Lehiten said, “I am pleased that Secretary Clinton has agreed to come before our Committee on Thursday to discuss these critical matters, as well as other topics of immediate relevance.  I would like to encourage members of the public to visit our Committee website and utilize our ‘You Ask a Question’ feature, so that they can suggest questions for our Members to ask Secretary Clinton.  We want to know what’s on your mind, and what’s important to you.”

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Human Rights Group Alleges Foul Play In Sirte

Allegations of human rights violations have surfaced after 53 decomposing bodies were found last week in an abandoned hotel in Sirte. 

The bodies found are said to be Gaddafi loyalists and are believed to have been executed between Oct. 15-19. Some bodies were found with their hands bound behind their backs, a sign the New York-based Human Rights Watch suggested was indicative of execution-style deaths. 

Additionally, Libya’s interim leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, announced that a committee was created to investigate the events leading up to Gaddafi’s death following conflicting reports over how the former strongman spent his final moments. 

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