Political Quotes

“I thank Mr. Van Hollen for yielding me this time. Today I rise in strong opposition to the Republican budget, a budget that makes absurd claims to reducing the deficit by repealing crucial government authority to protect our economy. Lest we forget, the Lehman Brothers disorderly bankruptcy sparked the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Should a megabank fail in the future, the Dodd-Frank Act specifically authorizes regulators to dissolve the failing firm, fire its executives, wipe out shareholders, and deny the claims of creditors. The gentleman from Wisconsin calls this a bailout--erroneously-- concluding that the Dodd-Frank Act enshrines ``too big to fail'' when, in fact, it provides all of the necessary tools to end it. If Dodd- Frank actually did what the Republicans say, why does no large firm want to be designated as ``systematically significant''? The Republican proposal also deceptively suggests that a repeal of the liquidation authority generates real savings to the American taxpayer. The Dodd-Frank legislation designed this authority to pay for itself over time, with any initial up-front costs being completely recouped by selling assets and imposing an assessment, after the resolution, on financial institutions with more than $50 billion in assets. The law specifically states that taxpayers shall bear no losses from the exercise of any authority under the liquidation title.…”