[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5987]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HELPING FAMILIES SAVE THEIR HOMES ACT

  (Mr. SMITH of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, as a former Realtor, I have seen 
the hurdles, struggles, and certainly triumphs of homeowners.
  Later today, we will be voting on H.R. 1106, the Helping Families 
Save Their Homes Act. I understand the need to help those who need it, 
but we must be mindful we don't wind up hurting those who are not in 
dire straits.
  Responsible homeowners, many of whom are struggling themselves, 
should not be saddled with the costs of subsidizing bad behavior on the 
part of banks or borrowers.
  Mr. Speaker, earlier this week President Obama stood in this very 
space and called on Congress to work together to put our country back 
on the right fiscal track.
  I agree wholeheartedly, and I urge my colleagues to work in a 
bipartisan manner instead of enacting cramdown legislation, adding even 
more risk to the mortgage market.

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