Five years after its passage, a new report has concluded that while the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act has been successful in the face of constant Republican attack, more must be done to ensure all Americans can benefit from our nation's recovery. The findings were announced today as part of a comprehensive report released by Democratic staff on the Financial Services Committee, at the direction of Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA). The report highlights the law’s accomplishments since its ... Read more

Leading House Democrats today sent a letter urging United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman to negotiate provisions in the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that provide governments the flexibility to help protect and strengthen the stability of their financial systems by implementing measures that would stem flows of speculative capital. The letter, led by House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander M. Levin (D-MI) and House Financial Services Com... Read more

At the conclusion of a first-of-its-kind Capitol Hill gathering of lawmakers and religious leaders to discuss the impact predatory payday and small-dollar lending practices are having in communities across America, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) announced she will be calling on some of the country’s most notable endowments and state retirement plans to begin to take steps to divest their interests in one of the country’s largest payday lenders. The announcement came at an Interfaith Payday L... Read more

Five leading Democratic lawmakers today called on President Obama to urge the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revisit the terms of Jamaica’s current economic program, which to date has been characterized by continued low growth, a decline in social indicators, high unemployment and threats to social cohesion. The House lawmakers did so in a letter led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over U.S. partici... Read more

In opening remarks during today’s semi-annual Humphrey-Hawkins hearing with Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, urged caution as the Federal Reserve considers raising interest rates before the end of the year. Waters touted the importance of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act in ensuring stability in our financial system, and mentioned the significant work that needs to be done to ensure that communi... Read more

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the Ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Financial Services, is raising serious objections to what she characterized as a “harmful” Senate proposal to expand the Moving to Work (MTW) Program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In a letter addressed to leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Ranking Member Waters urged the removal of language in the fiscal year 2016 Senate Transportation and Housing and Urban Devel... Read more

Leading Democrats on the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees today urged the Obama Administration to reconsider a proposal that would make it easier for lenders that have engaged in criminal behavior to keep accessing taxpayer-backed mortgage insurance. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the Banking Committee’s senior Democrat, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the senior Democrat on Financial Services, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) outlined their concerns in a letter to the leaders of th... Read more

This Thursday, July 16, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., Congresswoman Maxine Waters(D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, will convene leaders from Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities to highlight the moral and religious objections that faith leaders have raised in response to predatory payday and small-dollar lending practices in communities across America. The roundtable will address the impact of these harmful products on the communities that these faith leaders serve, and de... Read more

Today, four leading Democratic members of Congress hosted Chief Investment Officers (CIOs) from some of the largest federal pension plans and senior executives from the nation’s leading minority and women-owned asset management firms for a half-day summit to discuss the underutilization of these firms in the management of federal retirement plan assets. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA... Read more

At a hearing to commemorate the five year anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, issued a strong rebuke to Republican attacks on the landmark law, recounting the devastation of the crisis, the success of the law thus far, and documenting Republicans’ efforts to return to the practices that brought the economy to its knees in the first place. Her opening statement follows: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Tod... Read more

Today, several leading Democrats on the Financial Services Committee urged two federal agencies to “immediately” begin rulemaking to implement a key civil rights provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. In a letter led by Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), 13 lawmakers urged Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to begin the rulemaking process to implement a provision of Dodd-Frank that creates new colle... Read more

Following today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of a final rule that will provide communities with data, tools and guidance to help them meet long-standing fair housing obligations, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, praised the measure as critical to address the effects of the segregation and inequality across our nation. She released the following statement on the rule, which strengthens the Affirmativel... Read more

Mere hours before the Export-Import Bank’s charter is set to expire at midnight, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, joined Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA) in expressing their disappointment about the Republican-driven shutdown of America’s export credit agency. In remarks addressed to media, Waters outlined the immediate effects of ... Read more

As the House of Representatives leaves town for a week-long recess without taking up legislation to extend the Export-Import Bank’s charter just days before it is set to shut down, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement: “Today, Speaker Boehner and House Republicans have chosen once again to govern by crisis, leaving town without taking a single step to prevent the Export-Import Bank from shutting down. While I re... Read more

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the doctrine of disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act, which allows courts to hold defendants liable for the discriminatory effects of its actions, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, praised the decision. The standard was challenged under the case entitled Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, et al. v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., et al. For years, disparate impact ha... Read more

Following a House panel’s approval of legislation to fund the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, criticized Republicans for advancing legislation that would undermine a broad swath of the American people, from seniors and students to those investing in their retirement. Waters criticized two central tenets of the measure that undercut important protections for hardworking American... Read more

With just one day remaining for Congress to act before the Export-Import Bank shuts down, a wide array of Democrats took to the House floor asking for unanimous consent to extend its charter by bringing up H.R. 1031 – a bill sponsored by Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Gwen Moore (D-WI), Reps. Denny Heck (D-WA) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Waters and Heck also led an attempt to force a vote... Read more

Today, two leading Democratic Members of Congress are raising concerns with the release of final diversity assessment standards by six federal financial regulators, which were called for by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. In a joint statement Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee and chief architect of the provision, known as “Section 342” joined Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH), a leading Democrat overseeing its implementation, in express... Read more

Today, with just five days for Congress to act before the Export-Import Bank shuts down, Democrats on the Financial Services Committee took to the House floor in an attempt to force a vote to bring legislation to reauthorize, reform and re-energize the Export-Import Bank up for a vote. Using a parliamentary procedure called the "previous question," Democrats are pressing for consideration of H.R. 1031, the “Promoting U.S. Jobs through Exports Act of 2015,” as part of the debate over legislation ... Read more

Following a House panel’s approval of a financial services spending bill, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, criticized Republicans for advancing legislation that would undermine consumer protection, weaken important Wall Street reforms and hurt regulators’ ability to protect our economy. She released the following statement: “This legislation is just the latest Republican gift to Wall Street Banks at the expense of American consumers and taxp... Read more

During today’s full committee hearing to discuss the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual report with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee applauded the critical work of the Council in identifying risks to the financial system and protecting American consumers and the overall stability of the economy. The top Democrat criticized efforts by Republicans to undermine the Council, noting that a major contributin... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, praised the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its announcement to provide reverse mortgage servicers the discretion to allow surviving spouses to stay in their homes in instances where the borrower passes away. Ranking Member Waters has been a leader on this issue, in May calling on HUD Secretary Castro to provide meaningful relief and increased transparency for seniors participatin... Read more

During today’s full Committee hearing featuring Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, highlighted the critical importance of HUD and underscored the need to provide robust funding for the agency’s programs. In opening remarks, the top Democrat noted that Republicans have no interest in strengthening the national housing system, criticizing their repeated efforts to underfu... Read more

With just ten days left for Congress to act before the Export-Import Bank shuts down, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, took to the House floor to call on House Republican leadership to bring renewal legislation to a vote. Stressing the importance of the agency to creating and sustaining American jobs in every corner of the nation, Waters outlined the shortsightedness of allowing the Bank to expire, which would put hundreds of thousands of... Read more

Following the House’s passage of a measure to fund the nation’s housing programs, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, blasted Republicans for undercutting important housing programs that protect our most vulnerable populations. Waters also expressed her disappointment with GOP efforts to bury the debate on the housing title of the legislation, which was held late into the night on two separate occasions. She released the following statement: “I... Read more