[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 16, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
 REPUBLICANS RESCHEDULE DEBATE ON HOME AFFORDABLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I am here to report that the Republican 
follies continue today.
  Today, we were scheduled to debate the Republicans' proposal to 
terminate the President's foreclosure prevention program called HAMP. 
But late last night, the Republican leadership decided to postpone 
debate until after returning from the recess.
  As the country faces a number of problems, including a serious 
housing crisis, the House Republican leadership decided that today 
wasn't the best time to terminate a program that has helped more than 
half a million homeowners stay in their homes.
  See, tomorrow, the House will close up shop until March 28, and 
Republicans recognize that killing a foreclosure prevention program 
today would be bad politics. It would force Republican Members to go 
home and defend this feckless move for 10 straight days--to defend 
ending a foreclosure prevention program face to face with the people 
they represent, many of whom are struggling right now to keep their 
mortgage and keep their home. But, after the 10-day recess, when House 
Republicans come back out of the sight of their constituents, they'll 
move forward with their plans to end the home loan modification 
program.
  This kind of leadership is disgraceful. American homeowners are 
struggling. Nearly 7 million homeowners are facing foreclosure in this 
country. One in every four houses are owned by people who owe more than 
the house is worth. Nearly half a million homeowners have been able to 
stay in their homes because of the Affordable Modification Program, or 
HAMP. Ending that program will undoubtedly kick families out of their 
homes. That's something the Republicans realized they didn't want to do 
before a 10-day recess.
  I'll be the first to admit the Affordable Modification Program is not 
perfect. So let's fix it or replace it with something better. However, 
I have yet to see a legitimate alternative from House Republicans. They 
just want to cut, cut, cut, cut. Cutting deficits is important, but the 
Republicans' policies and scheduling gimmicks indicate that they don't 
really care about the American people.
  Every Republican Member should watch the ``60 Minutes'' special, 
entitled, ``Hard Times Generation.'' It aired two Sundays ago, on March 
6. The special focused on families that were homeowners and part of the 
middle class before the 2007 recession started. Now hundreds of 
thousands of those American people are homeless and hungry for the 
first time in their lives. The children of one former home-owning 
family described what it was like to live in their parents' van. Before 
school, they'd go to a Walmart bathroom to brush their teeth, wash 
their faces, and get cleaned up to go to school. The kids and their 
parents are now living in a motel room, the whole family of six, which 
is, quote, ``better than the van,'' although it's small.
  Is this the America that Republicans want our children to grow up in? 
Are Republicans really comfortable killing a program that has prevented 
500,000 people from moving out of their house and living in their car? 
Clearly, my Republican colleagues need a wake-up call today, and I am 
here to help. Watch that ``60 Minutes'' special.
  I've made it easier for you to watch the ``60 Minutes'' segment. All 
you have to do is go to my Web site, mcdermott.house.gov, then click on 
the very first slide in the slideshow that says, ``60 Minutes Special: 
Poverty.'' If you see that, click on it and you can watch what's going 
on.
  And when my colleagues, Madam Speaker, are back in their districts 
over the 10-day recess after they've watched this, then they should 
meet with some of these people and see what their thoughts are about 
ending the program and doing nothing to help American families. If they 
still believe that they should simply do away with the modification 
program, my belief is they have forgotten why they were elected and who 
they represent.
  The housing program that we will debate after the 10-day recess has 
saved the homes of over half a million people, or 500,000 families. 
It's far from perfect, but we need to focus on improving it or 
replacing it with something better, not just killing it.
  How many more kids have to take their morning bath in the Walmart 
bathroom or the Exxon gasoline bathroom before we begin to help the 
homeowners who were caught in the debacle from Wall Street from which 
not one person has gone to prison or served one single day?

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