Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in support of legislation developed by our colleague, Senator Brown, and me to protect $1,400 relief payments from being garnished by predatory private debt collectors. We know that millions of American families are hanging on by a thread. They are counting on these payments to make rent and pay for groceries and medicines. Now Senator Brown and I want to include these protections in the American Rescue Plan. We wanted to include them, just like we had done in the December relief bill, but the problem was that Senate rules didn't allow Senator Brown and me to include these protections in the American Rescue Plan, just like we had done earlier. If the Senate doesn't pass this bill, predatory debt collectors will continue to seize relief payments for everything from credit cards to medical debt. And as we talk about this right now, I would like to give an example of what this really means. If you have two parents who have lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, and they can't pay the rent because their relief check has been seized to cover a child's outstanding hospital bills--that is what is going to happen if you don't pass the legislation Senator Brown and I are advocating. So I think this one is cut and dry.…”