Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I think this is an important piece of legislation. This is one of the fastest growing crimes in our country: the diversion of Social Security checks and rebates. It is almost without any kind of corrective action. There are few prosecutions and even fewer convictions. So, if you are a criminal and you are looking for something that is relatively cost-free for you, this is the way to do it. This bill would provide some important protections to the American public. I would hope that we build on this. My friend from Florida and I serve on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and we have heard testimony about this crime as it has grown exponentially over the last 5 or 6 years. It is my hope that U.S. attorneys all across America will put more emphasis on this crime and use their resources to go after people who are predators of American taxpayers, especially many of our seniors who rely on these checks or these rebates to augment and supplement their income. So there are victims of this crime, and they are the American taxpayer. I think it is an important first step. I support the legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”