According to BNA: The six-page Feb. 21 letter from Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking Democrat Max Baucus (Mont.)--released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from BNA--posed a broad range of questions to George, including queries related to his vision for the agency, his office hours, how he treats TIGTA employees, and his management style and practices that in part could reveal his leadership

Today on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist called the House-passed pension reform bill (H.R. 4) “must-pass” legislation, claiming the Senate will clear the bill by the end of this week. Senator Frist said, “It's just this simple: The pensions bill is must-pass. Must-pass!” He added, “The Senate must clear the pensions bill, clean, so the President can sign it this month. We will act, and pensions will get done, without amendment.” For more, see www.501cstrategies.com.

A morning Senate Banking committee meeting over a credit rating bill, the talk began with moving along S. 190, Sen. Shelby's bill to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [Sen. Hagel] said the Senate should act on Shelby’s bill (S 190) to overhaul regulation of Fannie and Freddie. That measure was approved by the panel along party lines last summer and has been stalled since. Panel members seemed more optimistic Wednesday that some kind of a compromise could be reached on that bill in time for Senate passage in September.

From BNA: The big fear had been that all the incentives in H.R. 4 might disappear and there would only be reforms left, United Way Public Policy Director Patrick Lester told BNA July 31. "We were in danger of seeing most of these charitable provisions be used to offset tax cuts for the business community, rather than coming back to charities in any way." Because the reforms raise revenue, they could have been used for other purposes, but Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) insisted on pumping any gains back into the charitable incentives.