Obama: 'We got back every dime' of TARP money

Now just a doggone minute, Mr. President. You're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

CNS News:

President Barack Obama said on Thursday that "we got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system."According to the Congressional Budget Office, however, the government will lose about $24 billion on the bailout.

"We got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system, but we also passed a historic law to end taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts for good," Obama said in Miami Thursday.

The Congressional Budget Office--based on figures from Obama's own Office of Management and Budget---gives a different assessment.

"The cost to the federal government of the TARP's transactions (also referred to as the subsidy cost), including grants for mortgage programs that have not yet been made, will amount to $24 billion," said the CBO report, which was released on the same day Obama spoke.

TARP is the Troubled Asset Relief Program - the formal name of the government's financial bailout program passed in October 2008.

CBO said that the cost of TARP "stems largely from assistance to American International Group (AIG), aid to the automotive industry, and grant programs aimed at avoiding home mortgage foreclosures," noting that the losses will be so large they will eclipse the financial gains the government will realize from bailing out other large financial institutions.

In fact, CBO reported that as of now $65 billion in TARP funds remain outstanding.

Since some analysts believe that General Motors in headed for bankruptcy again, one wonders what the true cost of the bailouts will be.

And as the CNN Bailout Tracker notes, the Federal Government gave Chrysler and General Motors $77.6 billion in a futile attempt to stave off bankruptcy. Taxpayers will not see a dime of that money. There is also the matter of the government holding millions of shares of GM preferred stock which was bought when it was worth in the $30's and is now worth less than $20. The taxpayer is going to take at least a $7 billion hit on that.

But it's Romney who's the liar? Get real, Mr. President.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky