(Washington, D.C.) – On Thursday, March 9, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) will announce a coalition of taxpayer groups to begin raising questions about the activities and regulation of the nation’s two largest government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  CCAGW President Thomas Schatz will be joined at the news conference by Rep. Richard H. Baker (R-La.) of the House Banking Committee.  Baker's bill, the Housing Finance Regulatory Improvement Act of 2000 (HR 3703), would institute important steps toward making GSE regulation and oversight more effective.  Representatives from several advocacy groups will also be present.

The news conference is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the House Triangle of the U.S. Capitol.  (A backup room in case of inclement weather is H 219, on the second floor of the Capitol Building).

WHO:                                     Thomas Schatz, President of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Rep. Richard Baker (R – LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities and Government Sponsored Enterprises

Representatives from the new coalition's member organizations will be in attendance, including the 60+ Association, Citizens for a Sound Economy, the National Taxpayers Union, the Small Business Survival Committee, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.