During a hearing where members of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, or FSOC, appeared before the full Committee, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, underscored the need for a coordinating regulatory body in the wake of the financial crisis and highlighted its work to provide stability to investors, consumers and our national economy. Waters reminded Members of the damage caused by the crisis, while noting that repeated attempts by ... Read more

As the House completed votes on final passage of H.R. 22, and with it the four-year reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, hosted a press conference to mark the long-awaited renewal of the export credit agency. Waters discussed the many ways she and other supporters have worked to achieve reauthorization of the Bank, which has helped support hundreds of thousands of American jobs and enabled thousands ... Read more

During floor consideration of H.R. 3189, the so-called FORM Act, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of Financial Services Committee, urged rejection of the bill, which seeks to hamstring the Federal Reserve’s ability respond to variable market conditions, limit its independence, and undercut its efforts to fulfill its dual mandate. H.R. 3189 also adds an additional layer of bureaucracy to monetary policy making, establishing a Monetary Policy Commission that would review and make... Read more

During general debate on the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act, H.R. 1210, on the House floor today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, led opposition to the measure, which would allow the largest banks in the country to make the sorts of predatory and risky loans that left the American economy on the brink of collapse. The top Democrat went on to underscore the most harmful aspects of H.R. 1210, as it would scale back the ability-t... Read more

Delivering remarks on the House floor in opposition to H.R. 1737 today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of Committee on Financial Services, denounced efforts to undermine policies to root out longstanding discriminatory lending practices in auto financing. Waters specifically pointed to the consequences of the bill, which would nullify critical guidance to prevent auto-lending discrimination and leave minority buyers exposed to undisclosed mark-ups and higher interest rates. S... Read more

Following the release of the results of the most recent independent actuarial analysis, which indicate that the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMIF) has reached its Congressionally mandated capital reserve ratio, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, applauded FHA’s efforts to both strengthen the MMIF and expand access to homeownership for low-to-moderate income working families in the wake of the worst financial crisis in a generation. In pa... Read more

In response to a solicitation by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) for the public to offer ideas on alleviating poverty and housing affordability in light of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 50th anniversary, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), outlined a number of existing, proven approaches that already are helping to improve HUD’s efforts to provide the nation’s most vulnerable with housing that is safe, decent and affordable. In the let... Read more

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), along with House Committee on Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and 12 other congressional leaders on college accountability today sent a bicameral letter urging the Department of Education (ED) to grant imme... Read more

Financial Services Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), participated in a Subcommittee field hearing, requested by Democrats, held today at the Port of New Orleans to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and review Federal efforts to support the City’s recovery. Several officials participated in the day’s events, including Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (D-MO), Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO),... Read more

Following passage today of H.R. 22, the DRIVE Act, by a vote of 371 – 54, which included a hard-fought, long-term reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, praised colleagues, exporters, workers and business owners, and a broad coalition of advocacy groups on their tireless efforts to revive the export credit agency. The vote culminated more than two years of advocacy by House Democrats, both in leadershi... Read more

Federal financial services agencies have yet to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the American population in their workforces – this according to a Democratic Financial Services Committee staff report released during a press conference today led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee. Senior Democratic Members in attendance included the Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Congressional Asian Pacific America... Read more

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not alone in having racial disparities in its performance reviews, according to a report issued Thursday by the Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee. The report found that all seven bank, credit union and market regulators displayed significant disparities in employee evaluations, particularly among African-Americans who received lower-than-average scores at statistically significant levels at most of the agencies. Democrats requested th... Read more

House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) today announced the findings of a committee investigation into the employment of minorities and women at financial regulators. "Minorities and women remain underrepresented," among employees at financial regulatory agencies, especially in senior positions, Waters said while flanked by members of the Congressional Black, Asian Pacific American, and Hispanic Caucuses. The report data was garnered from individual agency insp... Read more

In advance of testimony by Chair Janet Yellen to discuss the Federal Reserve Board’s implementation of Dodd- Frank rules, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, pointed out the importance of the Fed’s supervisory role in preventing large banks and firms like AIG from ever destabilizing the American financial system again. The top Democrat praised the Fed’s efforts to stabilize the economy and implement broad reforms to the banking industry, and... Read more

On Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, will join representatives and chairs of the tri-caucus to unveil a report, highlighting federal financial services agencies’ current compliance with federal diversity provisions, trends in performance review evaluations and workforce diversity throughout these agencies. During the event, participants will discuss their reaction to the data, which was compiled ov... Read more

Following the release of a new Department of Education rule this week, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, joined Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) in expressing their support for critical protections that would put an end to financial companies steering college students to abusive, predatory financial products. In 2009, President Obama signed the CARD Act into law, banni... Read more

In remarks on the House floor today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, led Democrats in opposition to H.R. 1090, the so-called Retail Investor Protection Act, a measure that would stall the Department of Labor’s rulemaking establishing critical consumer protections from conflicted investment advice. The top Democrat outlined the Department’s efforts to address concerns from the general public, including a 164-day comment period, four days ... Read more

On Dec. 11, the stop-gap spending measure currently funding the government will expire. But instead of looking for ways to help Main Street and pull America back from a self-imposed budget “cliff,” Republicans in Congress are already planning how to use this year-end deadline as a way to push through Wall Street’s Christmas wish-list. In my role as the ranking Democratic member on the House Financial Services Committee, I think it’s important to remind and embolden Democrats to stand firm agains... Read more

In an effort to address a rapid decline in the availability of affordable housing, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, today introduced the Project Based Voucher Improvement Act. The bill would allow public housing authorities (PHAs) increased flexibility to develop new units of housing to serve vulnerable populations, including the homeless, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, and to create housing opportunities in areas where vouch... Read more

In opening remarks during a hearing in observance of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, outlined the accomplishments of the agency and the impact HUD has had in the lives of America’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Waters also focused on the need for more robust support for HUD programs, highlighting a visit to N Street Village, a homeless service... Read more

The leading Democrats on the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees today voiced their strong objections to Republican efforts to use must-pass government funding legislation to repeal, undermine, or delay financial reforms and consumer protections. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said they will oppose efforts to use ideological policy riders to jam financial deregulation proposals through the appropriations process. B... Read more

In advance of a Committee hearing on the 50th anniversary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services, joined by Committee colleagues Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and Rep. Al Green (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, for a visit to N Street Village, a homeless pr... Read more

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, offered the following statement for the record in response to a special meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors earlier today with Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Juliàn Castro to address the City and County of Los Angeles’ ongoing efforts to address homelessness: “As Ranking Member of the Financial Servic... Read more

In advance of a hearing to examine the effectiveness of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in light of its 50th anniversary, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), will lead a group of Financial Services Committee Members on a tour of the N Street Village – a homeless service provider for low-income and homeless women in Washington, D.C. – to highlight the critical need for investment in programs that support our nation’s most vulnerable populations, and the many ways these programs l... Read more

As a majority of the House of Representatives, Democrats and Republicans, came together today to gather enough signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote on the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, provided the 218th signature required by House rules to move the historic process forward. The discharge process has only been used five times in U.S. history successfully, and Waters’ signature re... Read more