On the recordMay 4, 2010
if there is one thing that we should all be able to agree on, it is that the American taxpayer should never again have to bail out a Wall Street firm. We need to be fighting for Main Street, not Wall Street, and the Boxer amendment is a step in the right direction on that path. This amendment sends a clear message to Wall Street firms that they can no longer take risks with our financial security and then expect the taxpayers to be there to prop them up. Wall Street must be held accountable. It is time to end to taxpayer bailouts once and for all. When I talk to people in Maryland, I hear their frustration and I feel their anger. They want to know, why should AIG receive a bailout, when nobody is bailing out them from this economic crisis? They wonder, who is on their side? Who is going to bail out their stagnant wages? Who is going to bail them out when they are trying to pay their utilities and put gas in the car? And, seniors wonder who will bail them out as they try to make sure they do not lose their income. This amendment shows that we heard their concerns and we are on their side. It sends a message to Wall Street that their time of running around acting like masters of the universe--with irresponsible lending practices and risky investments--has come to an end. And, it sends a message to American families and small businesses that their government is looking out for them.
