(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) stood with members of the local
community at Ballard Senior Center in Seattle to discuss the Wall
Street reform bill that passed yesterday that protects Washington state
families, holds Wall Street accountable, and guarantees that Washington state
taxpayers will never again be on the hook to bail out Wall Street. Senator
Murray was joined by Joe Fugere, owner of Tutta Bella, a local small business;
Gus Ramos, a local senior citizen who had to find new job after the financial
collapse; and Rosa Beck, a local victim of a predatory lender who ended up
losing her home.
“I
am so proud to be able to stand here and say today that after months of hard work
and debate—the era of taxpayer-funded Wall Street Bailouts is officially over,” Senator Murray
said today. “I
have been fighting hard for a Wall Street reform bill that protects our state’s
families, holds Wall Street accountable, and includes a guarantee that American
taxpayers will never again have to pay to bail out Wall Street or clean up
after big banks’ messes….The bill we passed yesterday puts Main Street
back in control. And it helps consumers, small businesses and families right
here in Washington state—the kind of people I fight for every day as a United
States Senator.”
“Banks
told me they wouldn’t lend me money because I was in a risky line of business,” said Joe
Fugere, owner of Tutta Bella. “I had a profitable business and always
paid made my payments on time—but now I was being called risky by big banks.
Wall Street reform will bring stability back to our economy and help small
businesses like mine grow—and I appreciate Senator Murray’s leadership in this
effort.”
“All
of these years I planned, scrimped, and saved for the future, and not only was
I cheated out of my money, but I lost something greater—my grandchildren,” said Gus
Ramos, a local senior citizen who had to find new job after the financial
collapse
“This
devastated my whole family,” said Rosa Beck, local victim of a
predatory lender who ended up losing her home. “The company told us this
was just business. How can they sleep at night? We were homeless. I
never believed people would do something like that. I pray that no one
has to go through this again. It’s been two years since my youngest child
has unpacked a box- for fear that we would have to move again.”
Senator
Murray spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday urging her colleagues to support
this bill and explaining how it helped families and small business owners in
Washington state and across the country.
See
a full summary of the Wall Street Reform legislation that passed the Senate
yesterday
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