Congress Must Adress Wall Street Greed

Floor Speech

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, some pundits are criticizing the Wall Street demonstrators as unfocused, inchoate, and disorganized. Well, let me render this opinion:

It is Congress that is unfocused, inchoate, and disorganized. It is Congress that has not met its obligation to the American people. Congress has not addressed the real damage caused by Wall Street greed. This institution can't even do rigorous oversight hearings across America--starting on Wall Street.

The demonstrators have found the right piece of geography. They have their eyes on the right subject. It is this body that has allowed justice to be denied to millions of our fellow Americans harmed by Wall Street wrongdoers. Wall Street has taken bonuses as we've seen the largest transfer of wealth from Main Street to Wall Street in modern history--too much power in too few hands.

I am placing in the Record today 12 bills Congress needs to pass to yield long overdue justice, restore a trustworthy competitive banking system and get the big money out of politics influencing this Congress. These bills include restoring Glass-Steagall to separate prudent banking from speculation, helping those facing foreclosure, and adding 1,000 FBI agents to do real investigation and prosecution, along with forensic accounting, to bring those who have done wrong to this Republic to justice. It's long overdue for Congress to do its job.

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