Geithner

With China's president set to arrive in Washington next week, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on Wednesday laid out a list of concerns that he says the U.S. has with the rapidly rising Asian nation, including unfair government subsidies, theft of intellectual property and its undervalued currency. In a speech ahead of Hu Jintao's state visit next Wednesday, Geithner said that China presents "enormous opportunities for the United States. " U.S. exports to China, he pointed out, are growing at twice the rate of exports to the rest of the world.

Treasury official Gene Sperling, expected to be named as President Obama's top economic aide, has two important qualifications that experts said probably helped him secure the job: He's done it before and he's dealt with a hostile Congress. Sperling, 52, held the same White House position ? director of the National Economic Council ? from 1997 through 2000 under President Clinton. He was a key negotiator with the Republican-controlled Congress then over economic issues, such as preventing cuts to the earned-income tax credit for low-wage families.

The escalating battle over raising the legal limit on the nation's debt is one that risks chaos in world financial markets and the creditworthiness of the U.S. government. "They're playing with economic fire," said William O'Donnell, a debt strategist at RBS Securities in Stamford, Conn. The United States is about $335 billion away from its authorized debt ceiling of $14.29 trillion, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told lawmakers Thursday. And the limit is fast approaching.

President Obama is expected to name a replacement this week for top economic advisor Lawrence H. Summers, and the top candidates have had ties to the financial industry, which the president has lambasted for its role in precipitating the Great Recession. Summers' last day as director of the National Economic Council was Friday. His deputy, Jason Furman, has taken over the job as the White House finishes a search that began when Summers announced his resignation in September. Candidates to replace Summers include Gene Sperling, a former economic advisor to President Clinton who has done consulting work for investment banker Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and Roger Altman, chairman of investment banking firm Evercore Partners and a deputy Treasury secretary under Clinton.

President Obama and congressional leaders called their first meeting since the midterm elections a frank but productive initial discussion of the issues before them, each expressing hope that common ground could be reached on the thorniest debate: the fate of tax rates set to expire next month. To that end, Obama announced that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Jack Lew, his budget director, would immediately begin working with representatives from both parties in Congress in an attempt to broker a compromise on the matter by year's end. Speaking to reporters after the meeting Tuesday, Obama said there was "broad agreement" that they need to resolve the tax-cut issue before the rates expire, but he outlined the differences and stopped short of saying he was confident they would do so. He said he was hopeful Geithner and Lew could "break through the logjam.

In the early weeks of the Obama administration, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner seemed like the ultimate short-timer. There was the rocky confirmation stemming from his failure to pay some personal income taxes. Then after taking office, Geithner's first major speech on the financial crisis was an unmitigated disaster. The markets shuddered at the dearth of details about his plans to stabilize the financial system, and the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 382 points.

The Obama administration is considering a tougher stance on the Chinese government's policies concerning currency and trade, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told lawmakers Thursday. With economic tensions growing, and midterm elections approaching, members of both parties have expressed support for cracking down on China. Geithner criticized the Chinese government for preventing appreciation of its currency, which has made Chinese exports cheaper abroad and increased prices of goods imported by China.

With sweeping financial reform legislation enacted, the White House and Congress now must focus on fixing the mess created by the failed housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It's a complex challenge with high stakes for taxpayers and the struggling real estate market. On Tuesday, key administration officials conferred with about 200 industry executives, affordable housing advocates and other experts about the role the government should play in the nation's housing finance system.

WikiLeaks and us Re "A whistle-blower with global resonance," and "WikiLeaks wasn't wrong," Editorial, July 27 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Australian hacker, may end up being one of the best things to ever happen to our American democracy. It is not for politicians and bureaucrats to decide what American citizens and voters need to know. In the last 75 years, we have seen a sharp increase in the use of secrecy laws to cover up illegal activities, corruption and incompetence rather than to protect information that safeguards national security, as originally intended.

As the White House gears up for a fight to end controversial Bush administration tax cuts, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Sunday that allowing those targeted at the wealthy to expire is "the responsible thing to do" and would not deter economic growth. President Obama's plan would end the tax cuts for only 2% or 3% of the highest-earning Americans, Geithner said, while sending an important message to the world about the U.S. commitment to fiscal austerity. "We think that's the responsible thing to do," Geithner said, speaking to White House correspondent Jake Tapper on ABC's "This Week."