[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12402]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  LET'S PUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST

  (Mr. DRIEHAUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DRIEHAUS. Mr. Speaker, in 2002 Representative Stephanie Tubbs 
Jones introduced legislation to crack down on predatory lending and 
subprime borrowers. Acting then to protect American homeowners could 
have helped prevent the foreclosure crisis, which led to the financial 
crisis, which led to the deepest recession in generations.
  But instead of acting in 2002 or 2003 or every other year they 
controlled Congress and the White House, my Republican colleagues stood 
by and did nothing. We can now clearly see the result of that inaction.
  This week we will take long overdue steps as we vote on the most 
sweeping reform of our financial system since the Great Depression. 
Instead of leaving decisions about our financial system in the hands of 
Wall Street bankers, this legislation will curb the risky practices and 
fix the systemic flaws that brought our economy to the brink. Instead 
of allowing predatory lending and dangerous speculation to go 
unchecked, these reforms will provide real protections for Americans 
looking to invest or to buy a home.
  We cannot undo the failures of past leadership, but we can help 
prevent another economic crisis like this one. By passing the Wall 
Street reform conference report, we can chart a new course that puts 
America first.

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