Chuck Schumer

It appears that a select few Attorneys hired by Write-Your-Own insurance companies, and paid by FEMA, are cashing in on the backs of struggling homeowners.

I know how hard you have worked and the strides that FEMA has made in helping the New York/New Jersey region recover from Superstorm Sandy.

Only one? There is only one?

I have one more question. I thank the Chairman for his indulgence.

Something really seems wrong here, and we need it checked out--lawyers and insurance companies taking advantage of homeowners and taking advantage of the U.S. Government and FEMA's payment system.

I have heard--and if the Chair will indulge me for just a minute more. I have heard that there are situations where the litigation costs exceed the cost of settlement.

But something smells wrong to you. We are not saying that something is wrong, but it is worth investigating, for sure.

We have been told that attorneys for the Write-Your-Own insurance companies are drawing out the legal battles with homeowners in an effort to drive up billable hours.

It appears that a select few attorneys hired by Write-Your-Own insurance companies and paid by FEMA are cashing in on the backs of struggling homeowners.

Our States are recovering and recovering well in good part because of your leadership.

I am fully committed to working with you and colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the ultimate cure, which is fixing this dysfunctional mess of a tax system.

To continue to have that access, you are going to have to pay your fair share of U.S. taxes. Things are changing.

Saying that we should wait for tax reform to deal with inversions is a green light to allow many more inversions to occur.

It is absolutely critical we quickly develop and process a proposal to combat this growing trend by some U.S. corporations to leave our borders for tax-avoidance purposes.

I have been about as big a flag-waver for comprehensive tax reform as anybody around here, and I am going to continue to keep pushing for bipartisan tax reform as aggressively as possible.

I would like to just tweeze each side of that question as my final question.

First, let me commend my colleague from Montana. Since he has been here he has been one of the strongest and most stalwart voices in defending the rights of Native Americans, and I know they populate his State in large numbers. I know he…

I think it is unfair that our veterans are getting caught in the backlog. They more than anyone else deserve to be reunited with loved ones and a support system as soon as possible.

To say that when it comes to money there should be no balancing test but when it comes to other parts of this amendment and other amendments there should be a balancing test is logically false, demonstrably false.

His rhetoric, his over-the-top rhetoric here makes it seem like if you support this amendment, you are against the First Amendment.

I do not believe the Koch brothers are being denied their First Amendment rights or would be under any legislation this Congress would pass.

I am embarrassed about how our system is distorted by literally now billions of dollars coming into this system undisclosed, unregulated, and unanswered.

I guarantee you that Senator McConnell would not have flipped his position, particularly on disclosure, if the vast majority of the money, unregulated money coming into the system were from Democrats not Republicans.

I do not think this is--I think if Thomas Jefferson were looking down, the author of the Bill of Rights, on what is being proposed here, he would agree with it.

I will tell you what most people, most Americans think is shockingly bad: that our system has become distorted by a few who have a lot of money drowning out the voices of the others.