奥巴马称华尔街滥发奖金可耻
Obama Slams Wall Street Bonuses 2009年2月1日President Barack Obama hammered Wall Street institutions Thursday for what he called 'shameful' bonuses, saying it is the 'height of irresponsibility' to ask for help from taxpayers and continue to reward executives with handsome pay packages.
'There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses. Now is not that time,' President Obama said before an Oval Office meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Vice President Joe Biden.
The remarks are the president's strongest yet on Wall Street compensation, and they come as his administration readies a new strategy to confront the financial crisis, an approach that could cost far more than the $350 billion remaining in the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Earlier Thursday, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said that total Wall Street bonuses totaled $18.4 billion last year. Though that represented a 44% drop from the previous year, the size of the bonus pool was the sixth-highest ever.
'When I saw an article today that indicates that Wall Street bankers had given themselves $20 billion worth of bonuses, the same amount of bonuses as they gave themselves in 2004, at a time when most of these institutions are teetering on collapse and they are asking for taxpayers to help sustain them, and when taxpayers find themselves in the difficult position that if they don't provide help then the entire system could come down on top of our heads, that is the height of irresponsibility,' President Obama told reporters.
'It is shameful.'
As the administration prepares the next phase of the TARP, banks that have received rescue funds from the government are under heightened scrutiny. This week, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain in a probe of bonuses paid by the investment bank on the eve of its merger with Bank of America Corp.
Mr. Cuomo called President Obama's critique of Wall Street a 'breath of fresh air.'
'Over the course of our investigation it has become apparent that while Wall Street melted down, top executives believed that, unlike the rest of the country, they still deserved huge bonuses,' Mr. Cuomo said in a statement.
Also this week, Citigroup Inc. canceled its multimillion order of a new corporate jet after the administration suggested it wasn't a good idea.
'We shouldn't have to do that, because they should know better,' President Obama said.
The president didn't discuss his plans for the financial-rescue package but said the strategy 'will be rolled out systematically in the coming weeks.'
According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration is weighing a series of steps to reinvigorate the financial sector that could involve $1 trillion to $2 trillion in government funds. One of those options would create a government run 'bad bank' to purchase the toxic assets currently impeding the flow of credit.
President Obama said Wall Street will have to behave more responsibly in the future.
'Part of what we're going to need is for the folks on Wall Street who are asking for help to show some restraint and show some discipline and show some sense of responsibility,' he said. 'You know, the American people understand that we've got a big hole that we've got to dig ourselves out of, but they don't like the idea that people are digging a bigger hole even as they're being asked to fill it up.
'And so, you know, we're going to be having conversations as this process moves forward directly with these folks on Wall Street to underscore that they have to start acting in a more responsible fashion if we are to together get this economy rolling again.'
奥巴马称华尔街滥发奖金“可耻”
美国总统奥巴马周四严词批评华尔街的机构滥发奖金是“可耻”之举。他说，要求纳税人给予帮助同时却继续给高管们发放丰厚薪酬，这是“登峰造极的不负责任的行为”。
奥巴马在与财政部长盖特纳和副总统拜登在总统办公室召开会议前说，华尔街机构会有盈利的时候，也会有拿奖金的时候，不过不是现在。
这番话是到目前为止奥巴马对华尔街薪酬发表的措辞最严厉的批评。目前新政府正准备制定一项新策略以应对金融危机，规模可能会远远超出财政部“问题资产救助计划”剩余的3,500亿美元。
周四早些时候，纽约州审计长狄纳波里说，去年华尔街的奖金总额达到184亿美元。尽管这一数字比上年减少了44%，但仍高居历史第六位。
奥巴马对记者说，今天我看到一篇文章，文中说，眼下大部分华尔街机构都处于崩溃边缘，要求纳税人帮助它们勉力支撑，而纳税人发现自己进退两难：如果不提供帮助，整个体系可能会在我们的头上崩塌。就在这样的时候，华尔街银行家却给自己发了价值200亿美元的奖金，和2004年的水平相当，这是登峰造极的不负责任的行为。
他说，这是可耻的。
随着政府着手准备问题资产救助计划的下一个阶段，获得政府救助的银行受到了更加严格的监督。本周，纽约州司法部长库莫向美林前首席执行长塞恩发了传票，要求他接受有关美林在与美国银行合并前夕发放奖金的调查。
库莫称奥巴马对华尔街的批评是“一股清新的空气”。
库莫在一份声明中说，在调查中我们清楚地发现，在华尔街崩溃之际，它们的高管却认为，他们和其他美国人不同，仍理所当然可以拿巨额奖金。
花旗集团本周也取消了斥资数百万美元购买一架新公司专用喷气机的订单。此前，奥巴马新政府暗示，购买飞机不是明智之举。
奥巴马说，按理说我们是不必出面的，因为他们对这点应该更清楚。
奥巴马没有讨论对金融救助计划有何打算，不过他说新策略将在今后几周中有计划地推出。
据报导，奥巴马政府正在考虑采取一系列措施复苏金融业，可能会动用1万亿-2万亿美元的政府资金。方案之一是创建一个政府经营的“坏银行”，收购目前阻碍信贷流动的不良资产。
奥巴马说，华尔街今后必须更负责任地行事。
他说，我们需要做的其中一点就是，让那些要求帮助的华尔街人士表现出一些克制，一些纪律，一些责任感。美国人民明白，我们有一个大窟窿需要填补，不过他们可不希望有人在应该补窟窿的时候，却在挖一个更大的窟窿。
奥巴马说，所以，在这一进程向前推进之际，我们将和华尔街人士直接对话，强调如果我们要齐心协力复苏美国经济的话，他们必须开始以更为负责的方式行事。
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