[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       CALLING FOR COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REGULATORY REFORM AND 
                             ACCOUNTABILITY

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, the bonuses announced by AIG are nothing 
less than a slap in the face to the taxpaying families across my 
district and across the entire country. Families that are struggling to 
pay rising energy bills and put food on their table.
  To expect hardworking middle class families in my district and across 
the country to foot the bill for executive bonuses when those same 
executives failed in their job and dragged our economy down with them 
is completely unacceptable.
  My constituents pay their bills on time. They make hard financial 
choices, and they meet their responsibilities each and every day 
without a bailout.
  This is truly a nonpartisan issue. I will work with my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle and with the administration to build a 
regulatory system founded on accountability. That is why I support 
legislation to hold these irresponsible individuals accountable and 
demand that they pay back to the American people the money that we gave 
them in bailouts.
  Now is the time for comprehensive financial regulatory reform and 
accountability. Never again should we leave the foxes in charge of the 
henhouse.

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