“The discussions on this issue are still on-going, and we still do not know what the final package will entail.  We know this is a very serious crisis.  We cannot run and hide.

“Even so we must not and should not give Wall Street a blank check; it’s not fair to the American taxpayer.  People who fell prey to some of the same unscrupulous lenders who helped destabilized this market are struggling to pay their mortgages, and the Bush Administration was reluctant to lend them a hand.

“Why is it that we can find a way to bail out Wall Street, but we cannot help the people struggling on Main Street?  People are losing their jobs, their homes, and struggling without health care.  No one has come to their rescue, but yet overnight we are pressed to come to the aid of Wall Street.

“We must protect the resources of the American people to ensure that their tax dollars are available to give them the services they require, not siphoned off to pay for the failures of private industry.”

Note:  On November 4, 1999, Congressman Lewis was one of 57 members of congress to vote against the Financial Services Modernization Act, which effectively deregulated the banking, securities and insurance industries.

CONTACT:
Brenda Jones
(202) 226 - 4673

UPDATE:

Rep. John Lewis Signs Congressional Progressive Caucus(CPC) Letter to Democratic Leadership

 CPC letter to House Leadership