Political Quotes

“I thank the good gentleman from Guam for yielding. I rise in support of H.R. 5003, the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act. Every day we are reminded of the significant sacrifices our troops make to protect us, and as Members of Congress we have a responsibility to protect those who protect us. The Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act works to live up to this responsibility by addressing abusive debt collection practices specifically targeting servicemembers. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, approximately 40 percent of the complaints filed by servicemembers concern debt collection, as compared to 26 percent by nonservicemembers. These debt collection practices are manipulative and have negative career implications for soldiers and their families. Egregious practices include: Contacting the servicemembers' chain of command in order to extract payment, threatening punishment through the Uniform Code of Military Justice, threatening rank reduction, or threatening to revoke a soldier's security clearances. Unfortunately, these practices do not stop with the servicemember. Some debt collectors also target military spouses, unfairly burdening our military families who sacrifice so much for us. These tactics are egregious and must stop. Our servicemen and -women make extraordinary sacrifices for all of us.…”