Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Senate is engaging in a vigorous debate over how best to bring corporate accountability to Wall Street. The Senate's consideration of this legislation is a significant step toward accomplishing that goal, and will ultimately ensure that we do not fall victim to those same pitfalls and corporate abuses that led to the recent financial disaster. As we bring accountability through the Wall Street Reform bill, we must preserve the role of the antitrust laws to promote competition and transparency in the industry. Our Nation's antitrust laws exist to protect consumers, and we must ensure they apply fully to Wall Street. There is simply no reason to risk exempting any industry from laws that prohibit price fixing and anticompetitive behavior. In other sectors, we have seen the problems that result from a lack of adequate antitrust oversight. The insurance industry, which enjoys a statutory exemption from the antitrust laws, is characterized by high levels of market concentration throughout the country. Millions of Americans suffer the consequences through unaffordably high health care costs, which may not reflect the price that would be set through true competition. For the past three Congresses, I have worked to repeal this six-decade-old exemption from the Federal antitrust laws. There is no justification for it, and I have urged the Senate to take up quickly and pass legislation that passed the House with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.…”