Washington » A group of Republican senators, including Utah's Bob Bennett, filed a bill Tuesday to stop the Treasury Department from extending the Troubled Asset Relief Program for another 10 months.

They argue the Obama administration has used TARP for purposes far beyond what Congress intended and they want the unused money -- about $300 billion -- to go toward the national debt.

"The financial crisis has passed," said Bennett. "The usefulness of TARP is therefore over."

Bennett and five of the bill's other sponsors originally voted for the $700 billion TARP program saying they felt the country was on the verge of an economic disaster. Bennett is up for reelection in 2010 and has been criticized for that vote by Republican challengers.

The legislation creating TARP states the program would expire Dec. 31, unless the Treasury secretary decided to extend it until Oct. 3, 2010. Democrats have blocked the efforts of South Dakota GOP Sen. John Thune, who has repeatedly tried to end the TARP program this year. Thune is the lead sponsor on the bill announced Tuesday. He has 12 co-sponsors.


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