Emergency Mortgage Relief Program Termination Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, this final amendment, which I submit with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green), who led this battle in committee, protects our men and women in uniform who risk their lives to keep us safe in our homes by protecting theirs. It would continue providing emergency mortgage assistance to service members, veterans, and Gold Star families, amending the underlying bill that would otherwise strip away such vital assistance to homeowners in distress through no fault of their own.

Whether it is the result of being laid off or a severe medical condition or emergency, Congress has not turned its back on our Nation's veterans when they are in need, and now is no time to start.

As my colleagues are well aware, the foreclosure crisis has affected millions of American families. Sadly, our military families have suffered some of the worst brunt of this impact. Last year, 20,000 active-duty Reservists and veterans lost their homes, the largest number in recent history. Did you know the foreclosure rate around our Nation's military installations is four times higher than the national average? From 2007 to 2008, the rate of foreclosure in towns within 10 miles of a military facility swelled by 217 percent compared with 59 percent in the rest of the country.

Right here in our own backyard--in my district, in the community of Woodbridge, Virginia--the foreclosure rate spiked an astounding 414 percent around the Quantico Marine Corps Base. Why is that? Because the unemployment rate for our military heroes who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is 15 percent higher than the national average. We all know how difficult the transition back into civilian life can be, particularly for the disabled as they try to find work.

Congress has repeatedly singled out veterans for additional assistance, whether it is workforce training or small business assistance. In fact, the House, itself, initiated a Wounded Warrior Program to place veterans in our Member offices; but even with that assistance, the men and women who so bravely fought on behalf of our Nation find difficulty succeeding back home. That's why we had more than 75,600 homeless veterans in 2009.

I know a young man in my district who returned home with a severe disability from a tour of duty in Iraq. Thankfully, the modest financial support he currently receives has enabled him to remain in his home, but barely, and he is only one adverse event away from foreclosure. What if his situation worsens? What if he suffers the loss of unemployment or develops a catastrophic illness? How am I supposed to tell him or his family, not to mention the thousands of others like him in many of our communities, that we are turning our backs on them?

Rather than continuing to provide for the needs of our veterans when they need us the most, this legislation patronizes them by calling for yet another study to tell us what we already know: that our military families suffer disproportionately from foreclosures. We don't need a study to tell us the right thing to do.

In a sincere attempt to honor their memories, many of my colleagues post pictures outside their offices of local servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Those men and women fought and died protecting our homes. How can we now tell their families that we're not going to fight to protect theirs?

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this final amendment and to help preserve the American Dream for those who are out there protecting that dream for each of us.

With that, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source