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Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and vice-chair of the Senate Republican Conference, asked the Department of Justice to investigate possible "accounting fraud and other corrupt practices perpetuated by top executives" at the two firms.

"The public deserves a full understanding of the events surrounding the failure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and, furthermore, corporate executives must be held accountable to the American people," Cornyn said in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey released by the senator's office.

Cornyn referenced the "culture of corruption that plagued these institutions" and raised questions about previous Justice Department investigations of Fannie and Freddie over the last five years in the wake of accounting scandals at both firms.

"Moverover, the efficacy of prior investigations by (the firms' regulator) and Justice are further called into questions in light of evidence of disturbing allegations of active interference on the part of Fannie Mae lobbyists," Cornyn said in the letter.

Cornyn's letter came the day after two top Democrats - Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Jack Reed of Rhode Island - asked Fannie and Freddie's regulator to review the executive compensation packages of the companies' CEOs. Both Fannie CEO Daniel Mudd and Freddie Chairman and CEO Richard Syron are set to step down from their positions as part of the government's takeover of the two firms.

Texas Senator John Cornyn, citing a 2006 finding that Fannie Mae intentionally overstated earnings, called for a criminal probe of the mortgage giant and Freddie Mac in the wake of a government bailout to prevent their collapse.

Cornyn requested the investigation in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey. The two government-sponsored companies were placed in a government conservatorship by the U.S. Treasury this week.

There are ``serious concerns whether a well-documented culture of corporate executive corruption at these organizations contributed to the mortgage giants' collapse,'' Cornyn said in the letter. He urged the Justice Department to ``determine to what extent any illegal activities led to the institutions' failure.''

A 2006 report by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which regulates the mortgage giants, said by ``deliberately and intentionally manipulating accounting to hit earnings targets,'' top Fannie Mae executives ``maximized the bonuses and other executive compensation.''

Cornyn said ``disturbing allegations of active interference on the part of Fannie Mae lobbyists'' to thwart the 2006 investigation raises questions about whether the probe should have resulted in criminal charges.

The 2006 investigation led to a $400 million fine against Fannie Mae.

AUSTIN - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega said Monday he would not support any effort to require the federal government to reimburse the states for the cost of educating the children of undocumented immigrants.

Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn supports such reimbursements, a spokesman said.

A report from the state comptroller's office in 2005 estimated that the annual cost of a public education for an estimated 151,000 undocumented children in Texas schools was $957 million for the 2004-05 school year.

Noriega noted that federal law requires the state to educate all children regardless of immigration status. He said that while the children have an impact on local schools, many of the districts receive additional funding that is available for children who live in poverty or have special needs.

Noriega said he believes the best way to deal with the cost of undocumented immigrant children is to fix the national immigration system.

"They're not mutually exclusive - the need to have immigration reform and to have education reform," Noriega said.

Cornyn spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said the state's junior senator has supported efforts in the past to reimburse state and local governments for the cost of illegal immigration. McLaughlin said Cornyn would support a federal reimbursement for school districts.

"The federal government is not living up to its end of the bargain," McLaughlin said. "Texas taxpayers should not be left footing the bill."

Noriega made his comments while unveiling a federal education plan full of new spending proposals but lacking a tally of how much they would cost. Noriega said he did not know what his plan would cost but described it as an investment in the future.

Noriega's plan called for reforming the No Child Left Behind Act, which he said had not been adequately funded. He also said there should be an end to standardized testing to judge the quality of schools.

His plan also calls for:

• Incentives for people to become teachers and provide a living wage for current teachers with additional pay and housing assistance for teachers who live and work in expensive areas.

• Expanding Head Start to take in more children.

• Ending unfunded mandates from Washington while also requiring schools to limit class size for primary education to 22 students.

• Changing Social Security laws so Texas teachers are not penalized when they and their spouses retire. The federal government treats Texas teachers' retirement benefits as a windfall and cuts their spouse's Social Security payments in retirement.

• Controlling tuition increases at universities by linking federal funding to requirements that a student's tuition be locked in for the entire time they are in college.

McLaughlin said whatever merits Noriega's plan might have, "it's totally irresponsible to come out with a plan that includes such massive increases in spending and then incredibly say you have no idea how much it costs."

The race for the white house is heating up with less than two months until the election, and some local politicians are going to work campaigning.

Senator John Cornyn was in Salado Saturday speaking at the Texas Federation of Republican women regional conference. Senator Cornyn addressed his vision for Texas and laid out some of the important issues facing Texans in today's economy.

He spoke to a room full of men and women from 30 counties about the positive republican influence in Congress, his efforts to lower gas prices by increasing domestic energy production, and even praised John McCain for his highly criticized vice presidential pick.

Cornyn admits that he too was surprised by Senator McCain's decision to choose someone who was virtually unknown. Cornyn is also up for re-election in November. He's running against democrat Rick Norieg