Under the guise of reducing government spending and “onerous” regulatory burdens, the House of Representatives has introduced appropriations bills that would gut the necessary funding to carry out the Dodd-Frank financial reform act, including regulating the toxic derivatives, such as swaps and collateral debt obligations (CDOs), that blew a hole in financial markets and drove the economy into the severe recession that may or may not be now in a slow recovery. The bills will have to pass muster in the Senate to become law, but members of the House have a track record of unwillingness to negotiate in good faith and a willingness to shut down the government rather than compromise.