Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis released the following statement after Andy Harris voted against a bill to help ensure flood insurance benefits will be available to those struggling to recover from Super-storm Sandy.
Today Andy Harris – joined by 66 other tea party Republicans – voted against a bipartisan bill to provide emergency relief for communities devastated by Super-storm Sandy. Harris opposed helping disaster victims even though families in his own district were among the hardest hit by the storm. Harris’ vote is shameful and outrageous.
Andy Harris is wedded to positions that are far-right, divisive and out of the mainstream. Today’s vote once again shows that Harris puts the interests of the Club for Growth ahead of the welfare of Maryland families.
Harris Sides With Big Banks at the Expense of Maryland Families in Opposing Efforts to Rein in Greedy and Reckless Behavior by Wall Street
With the Wall Street Reform package set to become law, Andy Harris should explain to voters why he would put the interests of big banks ahead of protecting Maryland families. In a June 2010 radio interview, Harris said that he did not support the Wall Street Reform package adopted by the House.
Once again, Harris is siding with Wall Street-backed special interests like Club for Growth, which spent millions of dollars on his behalf during the 2008 campaign. Rather than rein in the greed and reckless behavior that led to the 2008 economic collapse with common sense solutions, Harris instead prefers to maintain the status quo by looking out for his buddies on Wall Street and putting homeowners, consumers, and small businesses last.
Andy Harris’ outrageous refusal to hold Wall Street accountable and protect consumers from predatory lending, credit card and mortgage abuse is yet another reminder that Harris stands with big banks, not with Maryland’s middle class families. Hardworking families, seniors and small businesses that played by the rules saw their jobs and economic security wiped out by Wall Street’s greed deserve better than Andy Harris.
Protecting consumers and holding big banks accountable is a key piece of the change that all of us fought for in 2008. We are proud that Frank Kratovil and our entire Maryland Democratic congressional delegation supported this important reform. This is a huge victory for all Marylanders.
