Barney Frank
The Public Record
Barney Frank is a former U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, serving from 1981 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was known for his progressive stance on various issues, including financial regulation and LGBT rights. Frank played a significant role in the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which aimed to prevent the kind of financial crisis that occurred in 2008. He was also one of the first openly gay members of Congress, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights throughout his career.
★ Featured Quote
May 15, 2025
People around the world have learned they can claim asylum and remain in the U.S. indefinitely to pursue their claims.
— Barney Frank
Most widely reported
by number of sources- If the gentlewoman would yield. The answer is a resounding yes. And I certainly have been following her leadership in trying to make sure that these programs do more than many of them have done. So the answer to her question is yes. Nothing new can be started after June 25, but it does not reach back and strangle in the cradle those programs that were under way. I confirm that the conference report would not prevent adjusting resources between already initiated programs based on their effectiveness.3 sources2010govinfo.gov
- I would say, as someone who has been included in this denunciatory rhetoric, that I would be very satisfied to have people in forming their judgment listen to the words uttered by the gentleman from Oklahoma, and listen to the words of my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts. I think we are helping people form a basis. This notion that a loving relationship between two people of the same sex threatens relationships between two people of the opposite sex, that is what denigrates heterosexual marriage. The argument that we have denigrated marriage or the institution of marriage or any other formulation says that two people loving each other somehow threatens heterosexual marriage. That is what denigrates heterosexual marriage.3 sources1996govinfo.gov
- I yield myself the balance of my time. I appreciate the gentleman's acknowledgement. With all of their efforts, they are out finding pictures of abandoned houses, they couldn't find one example of where that abuse took place. In fact, there are a set of rules and restrictions that HUD has that I will submit under general leave. But again, let's review some of their errors. The fundamental error is the argument that this is a program which buys money from banks that have foreclosed and own the property. In fact, it is foreclosed and abandoned property. There are also entities that foreclose that weren't banks, that are not in existence anymore. Yes, it does not deal with all the properties. Where there is a responsible bank that you can go after, the cities go after them. But the suggestion that in Detroit, in Cleveland, in Boston, in Chicago, in all of our cities and in our rural areas there are no abandoned properties that lack someone you can sue is unreality. This is a triumph of ideological reflex over empirical observation. What this says to cities is, where you cannot find a responsible owner to go after, and the property is festering, if it's too far gone, you can tear it down. If it's not too far gone, you can take it and resell it for an affordable unit. Yes, it's got to be a limited income situation. {time} 1510 So that just disputes the whole notion that there's always somebody else you can get.…2 sources2011govinfo.gov
- Reclaiming my time, the gentleman quoted Barofsky, quoted La Raza. Those figures are nowhere in there. And their credit is not worse off because they're in the program. That's the fundamental flaw. What they are saying is--and people have said, the gentlewoman from Illinois--go to the private sector. The problem, by the way, that La Raza has is this is too much private sector. La Raza's problem here is that the problem is that it leaves too much to the private sector. The private sector does the easy stuff. The notion that more people are hurt than helped is simply nonexistent. By the way, we've always heard from my Republican friends that we shouldn't be the nanny state, to let people make choices. No one is forced to go into this program. If they can go into another program, they can make it better. The final point I want to make is this. Yes, there is a question about who pays for it. Under the TARP bill that we passed, it is mandated that in 2013 we get money from the financial institutions for this. In the financial reform bill that passed the House, we had a provision that required that that assessment be made right away. In the conference report on financial reform, we had an assessment on the financial institutions, those above $50 billion in assets, except hedge funds above $10 billion. We have had three legislative efforts to assess these costs on the financial institutions.…2 sources2011govinfo.gov
Jan 9, 2024
Barney Frank said that he believed that it was a war on crypto that motivated this--not a systemic risk of crypto.
Nov 12, 2019
Congress generally, and this subcommittee in particular has historically played a critical role in strengthening accountability at the World Bank.
Oct 21, 2019
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do very good work, and they are not endangering the fiscal health of this country.
Oct 21, 2019
I think it is clear that Fannie and Freddie are sufficiently secure so they are in no great danger.
Mar 5, 2018
Protection and advocacy Agencies, which are Federally funded entities charged with enforcing the rights of persons with disabilities.
Oct 2, 2017
It was a great mistake to push lower income people into housing they couldn't afford and couldn't really handle once they had it.
Jul 12, 2017
We should have made it much higher, $125 billion or more, and we should have indexed it.
Apr 5, 2017
For example, there are key differences in product characteristics between payday, car title, and other high-cost secured loans and more traditional closed-end unsecured lending and related products, and the products are often regulated…
Apr 5, 2017
I urge staff to pay close attention to the differences in products offered by nonbank institutions and to be mindful of Congress's intent in financial reform that State consumer protection laws be preserved to the extent possible.
Mar 29, 2017
the very vitality of America's free enterprise economy is rooted in property rights, and without them, capital can't make wise investments.
Mar 29, 2017
One thing that not only Barney Frank, Ms. Barnes and also Sandra Day O'Connor, Justice O'Connor agreed on is that that Kelo decision stripped those three words out of the Fifth Amendment, 'for public use.'
Mar 20, 2017
No one doubts that if a change in administration comes and the new President disagrees with the existing Director, he or she can be removed.
Sep 21, 2016
Barney Frank, the author of the Dodd-Frank bill, in this committee, sitting in that chair, who has testified in this committee that he told us that the $50 billion threshold is arbitrary and that we should look at alternative methods for…
Jul 11, 2016
I do guard the station. I hope you're not, Representative Mulvaney, equating a tax exemption with a Federal grant.
Jul 11, 2016
Well, I--look, there are people who think Elvis is alive, but I don't think that's accurate.
Jul 11, 2016
I was one of three Members of the House who voted against that. Three of us, Ron Paul, Dave Wu, and I voted to allow this bigot to continue to demonstrate his bigotry.
Jul 11, 2016
I don't feel respected. I don't feel that this is kind to single out what I do.
Jul 11, 2016
This is not a bill to protect religious liberty in general. It singles out one particular religious tenet.
Jul 11, 2016
They shouldn't lose their tax-exempt status but neither should they be able to go for a Federal grant as they would be under this bill.
Jul 11, 2016
The relationship between elected officials and his or her constituents is paramount.
Jul 11, 2016
Yes, I was frankly struck that Mr. Labrador went to such great pains to deny this.
Jul 11, 2016
how do you morally justify further disadvantaging that child by denying him or her benefits? Because that's what this bill allows.
Politicians like Barney Frank
