On the recordJanuary 5, 2017
As far as unelected bureaucrats that we have heard people rail against, speaker after speaker today being concerned, those are nothing more than the civil servants that make our government work. They protect our water, protect our air. They protect us, as a matter of fact--the FBI, the law enforcement. These are good people who go to work every day, work hard, like my dad did, for instance. He was a civil servant. I guess you could call him an unelected bureaucrat. He did everything during his job that he needed to do, and he retired with dignity. There are so many others who work for the post office. They work for TSA, Homeland Security. They are doing nothing but working a job honestly, and they deserve more than to be referred to derisively. We need them. Mr. Chair, I am in opposition to this legislation. We need real solutions for real problems. In stark contrast, however, the REINS Act attempts to address a nonexistent problem with a very dangerous solution. We need legislation that creates middle class financial security and opportunity, not legislation that snatches that away. We need sensible regulations that protect American families from economic ruin and that bring predatory financial practices to an end. We need workplace safety regulations that ensure hardworking Americans who go to work each day are protected from hazardous environments on the job.…
