Vicente Gonzalez: “I thank Ranking Member Waters for yielding. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in opposition to H.R. 10. While this bill may…”

“I thank Ranking Member Waters for yielding. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in opposition to H.R. 10. While this bill may contain some language that I would agree with and that is helpful to our community banks, as well as some of our credit unions, it would be very harmful to our seniors and the elderly. Additionally, the Financial CHOICE Act, as written, would be dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate and a monumental waste of time for this Chamber. As a public servant, we are called to serve the citizens of our great Nation, those who raised us; those who consistently told us, ``it is more important to have the will than to have mere ability,'' ``hace mas el que quiere que el que puede;'' those who forged a new path and a better way of life. One of the best measures of a nation is how it cares for its elderly. As a country, we made a promise to our elderly, to protect them and ensure that they would have reliable access to resources, and the support they need to live a dignified life in their later years. In my book, a promise made should be a promise kept. Today, my colleagues in support of the ``Wrong'' CHOICE Act seek to renege on this promise and leave millions of elderly Americans vulnerable to financial exploitation schemes. One in every five Americans have been victims of financial abuse, accounting for a cost of over $36 billion annually. We cannot abandon our elderly when their resources and, ultimately, their independence is threatened.…”