Timothy Geithner
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| Timothy Geithner | |
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| Occupation | Secretary of the U.S. Treasury |
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| Employer | U.S. Treasury Dept. |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
Timothy Geithner is the 75th Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. He was nominated for the position by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 26, 2009 by a 60-34 vote. He was expected to stay in the position through Obama's term after intense White House pressure to do so.[1] The move allowed the Obama Administration to maintain continuity in economic policy amid investor concern that a two-year-old expansion may be stalling.[2]
As of the beginning of January of 2013, it was expected Geithner would leave his post at U.S. Treasury around Obama's Jan. 21 inauguration and that he would be replaced in the position by Jack Lew.[3]
His nomination became controversial when it was revealed that Geithner had failed to pay nearly $40,000 in taxes on income received from the International Monetary Fund in 2001 and in three subsequent years.[4]
When he appeared in front of the Senate Finance Committee for confirmation hearings, he was interrogated about his plans to deal with the flailing economy, failing banks and rising foreclosures. As Secretary of the Treasury, Geithner would oversee the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).[5]
Geithner told the Senate Finance Committee that he was careless in failing to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes earlier in the decade but declared "I have paid what I owed" and apologized to Congress. He told the Senate Finance Committee he was sorry that his past transgressions were an issue in his confirmation at a time of deepening economic distress. He urged Congress to act quickly and forcibly to deal with the crisis. A top administration priority is to foster economic recovery and "get credit flowing again," Geithner testified.
As to his failure to pay payroll taxes from 2001 to 2004 while he worked for the International Monetary Fund, Geithner said those were "careless mistakes." He added that the mistakes were "unintentional" and that he "should have been more careful."[6]
On Feb. 5, 2009, Geithner convened his first meeting as head of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets. The group, created in the aftermath of the 1987 stock market crash to ensure orderly and efficient markets, is led by the Treasury and includes the top U.S. regulators. Other participants in the early February of 2009 meeting were Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro, acting Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Dunn, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James Lockhart.[7]
Background
Geithner was born on Aug. 18, 1961, in New York, New York. He's studied Japanese and Chinese, and has lived in East Africa, India, Thailand, China, and Japan.
In December 2001, he was appointed director of the Policy Development and Review Department (PDR) of the International Monetary Fund, in Washington, D.C. He joined the IMF in September 2001. From February to August 2001, Geithner was a senior fellow in international economics, at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.
Geithner served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs from 1998 to 2001 under Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers. Prior to his position as under secretary, Geithner served as Assistant Secretary and Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. He joined the Treasury in 1988, and held a variety of positions, including the assistant attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Monetary Affairs in the International Affairs Division. Geithner worked for Kissinger Associates, Inc. in Washington, D.C. from 1985 to 1988 before joining the US Treasury.[8]
On Nov. 20, 2003, Geithner was named the ninth president and chief executive officer of the Second District Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In that capacity, he serves as the vice chairman and a permanent member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).
On Nov. 24, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama confirmed that Geithner would be nominated to replace Henry Paulson at the U.S. Treasury Department.[9]
Geithner was involved in the bailouts of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Brazil and Thailand. Although he served in the Clinton administration, he is seen as having a good relationship with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.[10]
Geithner was involved in the move to rescue Bear Stearns and American International Group and the decision to let Lehman Brothers collapse amid the financial crisis of 2008.[11]
Education
Geithner graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in government and Asian studies in 1983. Geithner earned an M.A. in international economics from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in 1985.
References
- ↑ Pressured by White House, Treasury Secretary Is Expected to Stay at Post. The New York Times.
- ↑ Geithner Decision to Stay Gives ‘Continuity’ Amid Market Turmoil. Bloomberg.
- ↑ Jack Lew expected to be next Treasury Secretary. The Miami Herald.
- ↑ Geithner sworn in as treasury secretary. MSNBC.
- ↑ Tax Tips for Tim Geithner. Time.
- ↑ Geithner Apologizes for Not Paying Taxes. The New York Times.
- ↑ US Treasury's Geithner To Meet With Top Regulators. Forbes/Reuters.
- ↑ New York Fed Names Timothy Geithner President. New York Fed.
- ↑ Obama Announces Economic Team. The New York Times.
- ↑ Timothy F. Geithner. The New York Times.
- ↑ The New Team: Timothy F. Geithner. The New York Times.
