- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both made statements on the resignation of Secretary Jackson.
- The statement on HillaryClinton.Com read as follows:
"Secretary Jackson's resignation ends a tenure at HUD marked by an indifference to Congressional oversight powers, cronyism, and corrupt contracting practices that have no place in our government. Yet while Secretary Jackson’s resignation is appropriate, it does nothing to address the Bush Administration's wait-and-don't-see posture to our nation's housing crisis, which is threatening to drive our economy into a painful recession. Now is the time for immediate action, not more half-measures and white papers. While I appreciate the Administration's willingness to acknowledge the need for more regulation of our financial markets, we cannot let a discussion about rearranging the regulatory deck chairs divert us from the fact that our housing and credit markets are in crisis, and are sinking deeper every day that we fail to take aggressive action. That's why today I am outlining immediate steps we can take to shore up the housing and credit markets, restore confidence in our regulatory infrastructure, and keep millions of families in their homes. These include smart, near-term regulatory changes that are calibrated to the actual crisis we face. And they include aggressive actions to help restructure at-risk mortgages and keep millions of families in their homes."
"Secretary Jackson's resignation amid a housing crisis and charges of cronyism serves as a stark reminder of what's at stake in this election. It's harder than ever for working families to achieve the American Dream, and that's why we need a president who will cut ties with the special interests so that we can implement a plan that provides real relief to homeowners and prevents the lobbyists from writing the laws that regulate them. I've proposed a plan to create a new FHA Housing Security Program, create a new mortgage interest tax credit, fight mortgage fraud, and create a $10 billion foreclosure prevention fund. And on my first day in office, I'll introduce the most sweeping ethics reform in history, keeping industry insiders out of the regulation process and taking away the tools that the special interests use to curry favor. After nearly eight years of failed policies, rampant favoritism, and inaction in the face of crisis, that's the kind of leadership that America needs,"
Sources:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=6836
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/03/31/obama_statement_on_secretary_j.php
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