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.
There were two ways we could have dealt with it, yes. The gentleman and the Obama administration on one side. I disagree with the President. We could have avoided that by reducing American cotton subsidies to the same amount as we did with…
I reclaim my time. Understand the difference, ``directed'' and ``allowed.'' Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac never originated a loan. They could not have directed anybody to do anything. They were the secondary market. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…
I have to respond to what I just heard because it simply isn't true. The notion that the government directed people to make these loans is not true. I don't understand what directive the gentleman is referring to. I would be glad to yield…
First, I would repeat that I am glad to hear the support for Admiral Mullen--earlier we heard of Secretary Gates--in their warning about the deficit. I just wish that all of those who were accepting their warning on the deficit would…
the problem is the ambiguity is substantially similar. It kills this program, but it bans things that would be substantially similar so that innovator private sector entities trying to do something would be deterred because no one could…
This is not a $50 million expenditure for 40 loans. The $50 million has not been given to anybody, not a penny of it. It has been put in a reserve account. Fifty million has been set aside in a reserve account. It was disbursed from the…
Fifty million has been set aside in a reserve for defaults if and when they come. Not a penny of it has been given to anybody. It is simply sitting in that account, in case, and the 42 loans have nothing to do with that. The 8 billion is a…
First, for people trying to follow this, the gentleman from Alabama has confused several programs in this conversation, most of which aren't up today. We are dealing with one at a time. He talked about money that went to Los Angeles and…
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) in the committee offered amendments that would have provided some substantive protection to veterans. My Republican colleagues neither wanted to provide help to the veterans nor be caught not…
I regret the fact that my colleague from Massachusetts, who is a good lawyer and a careful student of what we do, has drafted a very specific amendment aimed at a particular point. He has been answered with a lot of general rhetoric, and I…
I think if we were to have a contest on your YouCut for the single stupidest thing the Federal Government could do, it would be to take $120 million more of American tax dollars and send it to subsidize Brazilian cotton farmers so we can…
In the Magnuson Act renewal of 2006, we set up a procedure whereby there can be a referendum in each fishery to do the equivalent of catch shares. NOAA's getting around that. There are some places I'm told where people like that. The…
Politicians like Barney Frank
