Bush signs the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 in Washington

U.S. President George W. Bush (C) signs the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 as (L-R) Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Rep Jim McCrery (R-LA) Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH), Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson (obscured) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) look on in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington on December 20, 2007. The act is an attempt by Congress and the Bush administration to stave off the effects of the sub-prime mortgage crisis which continues threaten the U.S. economy. (UPI Photo/Chip Somodevilla/POOL)