On Friday, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, wrote to the heads of financial services industry trade associations and the largest credit reporting agencies to call on them to describe what their institutions and member companies are doing to help consumers affected by the Trump shutdown. “President Trump’s shutdown of the federal government is inflicting tremendous harm to millions of Americans,” wrote Chairwoman Waters in the letter. “A... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), demanding that HUD follows its own Contingency Plan during the longest shutdown in U.S. history. In the letter, Chairwoman Waters expressed concerns about HUD’s failure to ensure appropriate responses to emergency situations and adequate funding for housing programs that affect HUD-assisted families,... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement on the impact of the Trump shutdown on the U.S. Department of Treasury, the agency that plays a critical role in the U.S. economy including collecting taxes and paying the debts of the United States. “The Trump shutdown is the longest in U.S. history. I remain very concerned about its impact on hardworking Americans and agencies like the Department of Treasury. “The Tre... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, and Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, announced the introduction of H.R. 624, the Promoting Transparent Standards for Corporate Insiders Act, bipartisan legislation which requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to consider certain types of amendments to Rule 10b5-1 that would ensure corporate insiders are unable to indire... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, gave the following statement applauding House passage of H.J. Res. 30, a Resolution of Disapproval to reverse the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s decision to lift sanctions on companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. “Today the House overwhelmingly passed H.J. Res. 30, a Resolution of Disapproval which reverses Treasury’s decision to lift sanctions on three companies owned by Oleg Der... Read more

Following her first policy speech as Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), sat down for a brief discussion where she outlined her plans as Chairwoman in the 116th Congress and addressed a wide range of important issues, including consumer protection, affordable housing, diversity and inclusion, working across the aisle, and the racial wealth gap. See the exchange here: Read more

Following Speaker Pelosi’s announcement of new appointments to the House Committee on Financial Services, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Committee, issued the following statement: “The 116th Congress is the most diverse in U.S. history and I am very pleased that the Financial Services Committee Democratic Caucus will reflect its diversity. We have new Members bringing fresh ideas and a wide range of perspectives, as well as experienced lawmakers championing and leading on ... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, delivered the following remarks during her first policy speech in the 116th Congress: As Prepared for Delivery Thank you for the very warm welcome, and to the Center for American Progress for holding this event. CAP’s research and policy work are highly respected and a valued resource for Members of Congress and our staffs. I am very pleased to be here with you today to discuss the new Congress an... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement regarding the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision in December to remove sanctions on three Russian companies connected to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska: “I am very concerned about the Treasury Department’s actions to lift sanctions on businesses connected to Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska is a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin, who also has a history with... Read more

On Thursday, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, wrote a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Jelena McWilliams, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting, and National Credit Union Administration Chairman Mark McWatters, urging the regulators to consider the needs of consumers who may be experiencing temporary financi... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, made the following statement on the impact of the Trump shutdown on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the agency that is responsible for expanding housing opportunities and providing safe, decent, and affordable housing for millions of families across the country: “Today marks the 20th day of the second longest government shutdown in U.S. history. It is shameful that President Tr... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee of Financial Services, made the following floor statement in support of H.R. 264, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2019, which would restore funding for federal government agencies to continue their important work on behalf of the American public: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and Members. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the opposite side of the aisle, but today, I ri... Read more

The chairs of seven committees in the House of Representatives today are calling on the Trump Administration to explain the easing of sanctions on businesses tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. In response to a December 19, 2018 notification that the Treasury Department intends to terminate sanctions against three companies tied to Deripaska, the lawmakers wrote Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin requesting a briefing for Members of Congress and a postponement of the sanctions termina... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) decision not to issue or renew flood insurance policies during the government shutdown: “Last week, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation, which was signed into law, to keep the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) doors open because of its critical importance to... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement in response to the recent actions and statements of President Trump and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin: “The financial markets need certainty, and a Federal Reserve that can independently set monetary policy. The recent actions of the President and the Treasury Secretary, however, have been erratic and are creating uncertainty and instability in the markets. It would b... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) released the following statement after being approved by the Democratic Caucus to serve as the first woman and the first African American Chair of the House Financial Services Committee: “I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues to be the first Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee in the 116th Congress. Since 1995, I have served as Ranking Member or Chairwoman of every Subcommittee under the Committee’s jurisdiction, taking on ... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, and 15 Committee Democrats sent a letter to Brian Montgomery, Assistant Secretary for Housing–Federal Housing Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), expressing concerns about the lack of transparency at HUD regarding the reported denial of access to FHA-insured loans for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the letter,... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, informing him that she expects his full and complete cooperation with the Committee’s oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s actions during his tenure at the agency, and that he may be called before the Committee to testify on the matter. “I am writing to inform you that while your tim... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, gave the following statement at a full Committee hearing entitled, “The Peril of an Ignored National Debt.” As Prepared for Delivery Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, since this hearing is about attention to the national debt, I think it is important for the public to understand that the Republican tax scam, pushed through by Congressional Republicans and Donald Trump during this Congress... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, Congressman Denny Heck (D-WA) and 21 Committee Democrats sent a letter to Kathy Kraninger, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau), urging her to recommit the Consumer Bureau to fulfilling its supervisory role over consumer protection laws, including the Military Lending Act. The Military Lending Act, which became law with bipartisan support in 2006, provides cri... Read more

Following the announcement that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau) settled with State Farm Bank, FSB, over the misuse of consumer credit information without imposing a civil penalty, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement: “To cap off his harmful tenure at the Consumer Bureau, Mick Mulvaney has chosen to once again turn a blind eye to predatory behavior. “I am deeply troubled by the Con... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, gave the following statement at a subcommittee hearing on the effectiveness of international financial institutions with David Malpass, Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury. As Prepared for Delivery Thank you very much. I’d like to thank Under Secretary Malpass for coming before our Committee again to discuss the role of the United States in ensuring the e... Read more

Today, in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosure revealing a previously unreleased Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau) analysis on excessive account fees charged to students by large banks, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement: “It is deeply troubling that a previously unpublished Consumer Bureau analysis showing that some large banks, including Wells Fargo, charged excessive... Read more

Today, following a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Consumer Bureau) proposal to weaken its “no-action letter” policy and reduce enforcement, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement: “I am very concerned by the Consumer Bureau proposal, issued in the last days of Mick Mulvaney’s leadership, to significantly loosen its “no-action letter” policy in a way that could let bad actors that abuse consumers off the hook ... Read more

Following her historic nomination by the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee as the first woman and African American to chair the House Committee on Financial Services, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), issued the following statement: “I am honored to have been nominated by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to serve as Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee in the 116th Congress. “I am committed to creating opportunities, ensuring fairness, and protecting th... Read more