July 11, 2008 (10 images)

The front of the Fannie Mae building is seen in Washington on July 11, 2008. As the U.S. economy continues to slip amidst the housing and credit crisis, it was reported today that the U.S. government may take over mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac if their funding problems worsen. (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn) .

The front of the Fannie Mae building is seen in Washington on July 11, 2008. As the U.S. economy continues to slip amidst the housing and credit crisis, it was reported today that the U.S. government may take over mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac if their funding problems worsen. (UPI Photo/Alexis C. Glenn) .

A trader reacts in the oil options pit at the New York Mercantile Exchange after oil hit a record high of over $147 per barrel on July 11, 2008 in New York. The price increase was spurred by fears of supply disruptions and growing tensions with Iran following their missile tests earlier this week. (UPI Photo/Monika Graff)

Larraine McGee, mother of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Everett who was electrocuted while power-washing a Humvee in Iraq in 2005, testifies during a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing on 'contractor misconduct and the electrocution deaths of American soldiers in Iraq' on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 11, 2008. (UPI Photo/Patrick D. McDermott)