Washington will be both busy and completely shut down on Monday and Tuesday, and then it will be busy again on Wednesday. Perhaps the country will have a new Treasury Secretary by the end of the week; perhaps not. And what of the second half of the Tarp money? Answers to these questions and more...
Monday
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.-given the timing of the IndyMac sale and various bailouts and takeovers that have happened during or immediately before official holidays these past few months, it´s impossible to rule out some action, but there´s nothing scheduled. Let´s only hope preparations for the inauguration parade keep Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson far away from his office.
Tuesday
Millions of people will converge on Pennsylvania Avenue to see President-elect Barack Obama sworn in. Lobbyists and lawyers will be there, but hopefully they´ll have their hands placidly full of refreshments all day.
Wednesday
The Senate Finance Committee will hold Treasury Secretary-designate Tim Geithner´s confirmation hearing at 10am. We wish we could say there will be refreshments.
Elsewhere, The House of Representatives will vote on Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank´s bill to restrict the uses of the remaining Tarp money.
Thursday
The House will vote on the motion to disapprove of the release of the second half of the Tarp money, a motion that failed in the Senate last Thursday, 42-52.
