[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   OUR NATION'S SMALL COMMUNITY BANKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Collins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to defend our community banks. 
For decades, we have had leftwing, out-of-control Federal 
administrations that have been hammering on our community banks to put 
them out of business. You take Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, or the 
Federal agencies who have been regulating and regulating these small 
community banks to the point where they either have to sell, close up, 
or worst, being taken over.
  You see, these community banks, they are the lifeblood of small 
businesses, and small businesses, they are the backbone to this 
economy.
  These community banks, they are a part of our community. They are out 
there in your civic and social organizations leading. Their kids go to 
school with your kids. They are out there on the ball fields helping 
coach. They are even going to church with you on Sunday.
  You see, they have a vital interest in seeing the community succeed. 
That way they succeed. Yet, now we have this extra-woke, leftwing 
administration that has decided to pick winners and losers and take a 
different tactic.
  The tactic they are taking now is to try to scare the consumer to 
where they will take their deposits from the community bank and move it 
over to one of the big banks, to where they can achieve that Big 
Government, be all, end all for every need and everything you ever 
need, and that is not America.
  As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I wouldn't be standing here, and I 
wouldn't be where I am today, if it weren't for my community bank.
  So I have two things, Mr. Speaker: Federal Government get off the 
backs of these community banks. Take your leftwing ideology somewhere 
else.
  To my fellow Americans out there: Continue to support your community 
bank out there. Continue to do business with them.

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