Treasury Department

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Culinary Diplomacy: What's Janet Yellen Eating in China?

She ate potentially psychedelic mushrooms on her last visit, and all eyes are on this trip

(Newser) - Ever since she ate mushrooms that can have psychedelic effects in Beijing last July, Janet Yellen has united Americans and Chinese in wanting to know what she'll eat next. As the AP reports, now that the US Treasury secretary is back in China this week, having stopped in Guangzhou...

Bidder Emerges to Save Yellow, but She Needs Uncle Sam

Industry exec Sarah Riggs Amico has a plan to resurrect a leaner version of bankrupt trucking firm

(Newser) - Pressure from Congress has been increasingly directed toward the US Treasury in recent weeks to help rescue trucking giant Yellow Corp. after the firm filed for bankruptcy over the summer and shuttered operations. Now, as Yellow's assets are prepped for sale and its former drivers struggle to find work...

Today's the Day for an Unwanted Milestone
Today's the Day
for an Unwanted Milestone
THE RUNDOWN

Today's the Day for an Unwanted Milestone

US set to hit borrowing limit on Thursday, spurring what's likely to be a contentious debt-ceiling fight

(Newser) - Today's a milestone day for the Treasury Department, though it's one it had hoped wouldn't arrive. Thursday marks when the United States is expected to hit its $31.4 trillion debt cap, a borrowing limit set by Congress that means Treasury will now have to get creative...

It's a 'Huge Milestone' for US Currency

New banknotes are the first to be signed by 2 women

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday helped mark a milestone in US history when she held up a newly minted $5 bill signed for the first time ever by two women. Yellen's signature will appear alongside that of US Treasurer Lynn Malerba, the first Native American in that position,...

Start Digging in Your Sofa for Much-Needed Coins

Businesses across the US are begging people to put spare change into circulation amid shortage

(Newser) - Got a dime you can spare? Retailers, laundromats, and other businesses that rely on coins want you to turn it in, along with any other spare change in piggy banks or under couch cushions, as coins are in short supply again, the AP reports. A group of trade associations that...

Justice Decides Against Trump on Tax Returns

Barring another twist, House panel will receive copies of the documents

(Newser) - The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee with former President Trump's tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. In a memo dated Friday, the Office of Legal Counsel said the committee chairman "has...

Biden Gives Federal Workers a Choice on Vaccinations

Employees must show proof or face new rules, as administration seeks $100 incentives

(Newser) - President Biden will try to raise the nation's coronavirus vaccination rates by pressuring the people who work for him. More than 2 million federal workers and roughly another 2 million contractors will have to get vaccinated or be subject to newly enacted testing, masking, and distancing rules, the Washington ...

Parents, Check Your Accounts This Week

First of 6 monthly installments for enhanced child tax credit are due out Thursday

(Newser) - If you have kids and fit the eligibility requirements, you could see your first monthly payment from the US Treasury this week. The first installment to 39 million families, comprising 65 million kids, are set to be disseminated on Thursday, either via direct deposit or check. Most families will automatically...

Janet Yellen at Helm of Treasury Is a Big First

Senate OKs Biden's nominee, making her the first woman to lead the department

(Newser) - The Senate on Monday approved President Biden's nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation's 78th Treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department's 232-year history. Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate in an...

Treasury, Commerce Hit by Hackers in Monthslong Breach

'Unacceptable risk' to government tied back to hugely popular server software

(Newser) - US government agencies were ordered to scour their networks for malware and disconnect potentially compromised servers after authorities learned the Treasury and Commerce departments were hacked in a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign, discovered when a prominent cybersecurity firm learned it had been breached. In a rare emergency directive issued late...

US Treasury Gets Hacked, Sources Say

The National Security Council says it's on the case

(Newser) - Sophisticated hackers have stolen data from the US Treasury and an agency that oversees telecom and Internet policies—but those behind it remain unidentified, insiders tell Reuters . "The United States government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible...

Report: Biden Has Picked Yellen for Treasury Secretary

She chaired the Fed from 2014 to 2018

(Newser) - The first woman to lead the Federal Reserve is set to become the first female Treasury secretary. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal and the AP that President-elect Joe Biden has tapped 74-year-old labor economist Janet Yellen, who chaired the Fed from 2014 to 2018, for the role. Yellen also...

Munchin's Move Doesn't Sit Well With the Fed

Treasury, central bank differ on pandemic relief

(Newser) - The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are suddenly at odds over pandemic relief. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will not extend emergency loan programs set up with the Fed, an action that could hamper the ability of the incoming Biden administration to gain important economic support...

US Sanctions Hong Kong Leader
US Sanctions
Hong Kong Leader

US Sanctions Hong Kong Leader

Carrie Lam said she'd 'laugh off' this very scenario

(Newser) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is facing US sanctions amid accusations that she's working with China to limit political freedoms. Lam is "directly responsible for implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes," the Treasury Department said in a Friday statement. It cited Lam'...

Mnuchin: Let's Forgive Those Small-Business Loans

The treasury secretary echoes a proposal made by banks and trade associations

(Newser) - Good news for small-business owners: You might not have to pay back that federal loan. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as much Friday in a House committee meeting where he pushed for another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans to struggling businesses, the Wall Street Journal reports. "One of...

US Mortgage Rate Hits 'Tremendous Benchmark'

'It's also an indication that we remain in a crisis here,' says an economist at Zillow Group Inc

(Newser) - Looking to buy a house? The average 30-year fixed mortgage has sunk below 3% for the first time in Freddie Mac's long history of tracking America's most beloved home loan, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's a "tremendous benchmark," says a Zillow Group Inc economist...

$1.4B in Stimulus Money Went to Dead People

Government watchdog finds that death records weren't reviewed

(Newser) - The Trump administration has some lessons to learn before sending out any new coronavirus stimulus checks . More than 1 million checks for a combined $1.4 billion were distributed to dead people, according to a government watchdog report covering coronavirus relief spending approved by Congress as of April 30. In...

Administration Widens Loan Disclosure, but Watchdogs Want More

Government was under pressure to provide information about who received the money

(Newser) - The Trump administration has relented to public pressure and pledged to provide more details about which small businesses received loans from a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program. But government watchdogs say even more transparency is needed to get an accurate picture of who was helped and who was left out,...

Report: Treasury Looking at 'Unprecedented' Control of USPS

'WaPo': Administration may use $10B loan as leverage for more sway over Postal Service

(Newser) - As part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief effort, Congress has authorized the Treasury Department to extend an emergency $10 billion loan to the struggling US Postal Service. But now the Trump administration is reportedly mulling tacking on conditions to that loan that would put some aspects of the...

Stimulus Checks Will Have an Unusual Name on Them

A president's name, for the first time ever

(Newser) - If you're among the Americans checking their mailboxes for a stimulus check, the Washington Post reports that yours will be coming to you a little differently than any other IRS disbursement in history: It will bear the words "President Donald J. Trump" on the left-hand side of the...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser