Congressman Steve Driehaus

[V3n]

I've emailed my Congressman (Steve Driehaus, District 1) twice concerning HR1207, once a week for the past 2 weeks, and I haven't received any reply at all, not even a form letter.

Has anyone else been able to contact him? Anyone gotten a reply?

[V3n]

I've emailed him 3 times in 3 weeks - still no reply! Either his contact me page isn't working, or this guy is really starting to bug me!

Anyone else have any luck with him?

[V3n]

After weeks of e-mailing him, I FINALLY got a response (actually he spammed me with 9 responses that all say the same thing - guess turnabout is fair play!)

Here's what he wrote:


Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this important issue.

As you may know, H.R. 1207 would direct the Comptroller General to audit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System by the end of 2010. Additionally, the bill would repeal the authority of the Comptroller General to carry out onsite examinations of open insured banks or bank holding companies. On February 26, 2009, this bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services for further consideration.

I agree that Congress must demand transparency and accountability in government, especially during the current economic crisis. However, I have serious concerns that H.R. 1207 ultimately would make the Federal Reserve subject to undue influence and political pressures, thereby undermining the independent nature of the agency instead of preserving its impartial, unbiased role. Yet, I share your view that Congress must fulfill its oversight responsibilities and monitor the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. For this reason, I am pleased that Congress recently passed legislation expanding its auditing authority.

In order to address the concerns about the Federal Reserve's actions in response to the financial crisis, Congress recently passed legislation that improves oversight of the Federal Reserve. President Obama signed the bill (S. 896) into law on May 20, 2009. This law gives the Government Accountability Office (GAO) the authority to access information from the Federal Reserve about its bailout and financial stabilization efforts. This law will allow GAO, Congress' independent auditing arm, to audit Federal Reserve guarantees to AIG, Bear Stearns, Citigroup, and Bank of America. This legislation is an important step in the right direction.

Additionally, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently passed the Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2009. This bill would empower the GAO to audit, review and examine credit facilities established by the Federal Reserve, particularly the Term Asset-Backed Loan Facilities (TALF). It also would provide the Comptroller General the ability to sue an agency that improperly withholds information. As a member of the Committee, I am hopeful this bill will be another step towards improved oversight of the Federal Reserve and its credit facilities.

Again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future if I may be of any assistance.

Sincerely,
Steve Driehaus
Member of Congress

I added the bold and underline because it's the biggest crock of ... I've ever read in my life, and felt the need to point it out...