[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S2762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TROUBLED ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM OVERSIGHT ENHANCEMENT ACT

  Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, to date, over 380 companies have 
received some $300 billion taxpayer dollars from the Troubled Asset 
Relief Program, supposedly to improve their financial stability. These 
include some of the largest corporations and financial institutions in 
America.
  Yet in recent years, many of these same firms found enough money to 
contribute annually to some of the most radical organizations in the 
nation.
  They have donated large sums to ACORN, Friends of the Earth, Planned 
Parenthood, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Conservation 
International Foundation, to name just a few. The vast majority of 
Americans do not support the agendas of these fringe groups, whose 
excesses have been well-documented over the years.
  Companies that get bailed out cannot carry on as if it were business 
as usual. They should not grab for taxpayer dollars help with one hand 
and give money to these radical organizations with the other.
  That is why I have introduced the Troubled Asset Relief Program 
Oversight Enhancement Act.
  This legislation would let us see how these companies are spending 
their money. If they are not focused on increasing their solvency or 
liquidity, if they are not working on lending to small businesses and 
individuals, if they are not helping get this economy back on track, 
and are instead financing extremist organizations, then the American 
people need to know about it.
  ``Transparency'' is one of the new watchwords in Washington. Let's 
have some of that transparency for the sake of the American taxpayers, 
who deserve to see how these companies are behaving after receiving 
hard-earned tax dollars.

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