Reports

Failed Bailout: Lessons for Obama from Bush's Failures on TARP 2/09/2009

Following the collapse of major financial institutions Congress enacted a sweeping $700 billion taxpayer financed bailout of the financial sector. However, months into the program and billions of dollars later, no one knows how the money was spent and no one is convinced that it’s achieved any of the intended results. The U.S Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (U.S. PIRG) believes it is critical for Congress to demand and the Department of Treasury to implement mechanisms and metrics to make sure that the actions of the TARP recipients reflect the original goals and objectives of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA).

Health Care in Crisis: How Special Interests Could Double Health Care Costs and How We Can Stop It 1/28/2009

Without action from Congress, premiums and deductibles for residents of Connecticut with employer provided insurance will nearly double by 2016. ConnPIRG attributes these high costs to wasteful health spending and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries that profit from it. The report concludes that one out of three dollars spent on health care fuels profits for special interests without delivering better health care for patients.