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Stephen Fincher on Budget & Economy
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Voted YES on prioritizing spending in case debt limit is reached.
Congressional Summary:Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in addition to any other authority provided by law, to issue obligations to pay with legal tender, and solely for the purpose of paying, the principal and interest on U.S. obligations held by the public, or held by the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and Disability Insurance Trust Fund, in the event that the federal debt reaches the statutory limit after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the issued obligations from being taken into account in applying the current $16.394 trillion public debt limit to the extent that they would otherwise cause such limit to be exceeded. Opponent's Argument for voting No:Rep. MAFFEI: The American people want us to work together--Republicans and Democrats--to reduce our debt, pay our bills, and avoid an economic catastrophe, which would result from default. This legislation presumes it will happen and maps out not if but what happens when the
United States defaults. Their plan ensures that foreign creditors such as China, Japan, and OPEC countries Iran and Saudi Arabia would continue to get paid while we halt other payments to groups of Americans who have earned those benefits. This bill prioritizes Chinese lenders ahead of American seniors and veterans and college students. That's why it's called the Pay China First Act.
White House statement in opposition:American families do not get to choose which bills to pay and which ones not to pay, and the United States Congress cannot either without putting the nation into default for the first time in its history. This bill would threaten the full faith and credit of the United States, cost American jobs, hurt businesses of all sizes and do damage to the economy. It would cause the nation to default on payments for Medicare, veterans, national security and many other critical priorities. This legislation is unwise, unworkable, and unacceptably risky."
Reference: Full Faith and Credit Act;
Bill H R 807
; vote number 13-HV807
on May 9, 2013
Voted YES on terminating the Home Affordable mortgage Program.
Congressional Summary: Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to terminate providing new mortgage modification assistance under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), except with respect to existing obligations on behalf of homeowners already extended an offer to participate in the program.Proponent's Argument for voting Yes:
[Rep. Biggert, R-IL]: The HAMP Termination Act would put an end to the poster child for failed Federal foreclosure programs. The program has languished for 2 years, hurt hundreds of thousands of homeowners, and must come to an end. This bill would save $1.4 billion over 10 years. To date, the HAMP program has already consumed $840 million of the more than $30 billion of TARP funds that were set aside for the program. For this extraordinary investment, the administration predicted that 3 to 4 million homeowners would receive help.
HAMP has hurt more homeowners than it has helped. The program has completed about 540,000 mortgage modifications. Another 740,000 unlucky homeowners had their modifications cancelled.
Opponent's Argument for voting No:
[Rep. Capuano, D-MA]: This is a program that I'm the first to admit has not lived up to what our hopes were. This program we had hoped would help several million people. Thus far we've only helped about 550,000 people. But to simply repeal all of these programs is to walk away from individual homeowners, walk away from neighborhoods. I'm not going to defend every single aspect of this program, and I am happy to work with anyone to make it better, to help more people to keep their homes, & keep their families together. To simply walk away without offering an alternative means we don't care; this Congress doesn't care if you lose your home, period. Now, I understand if that makes me a bleeding-heart liberal according to some people, so be it.
Reference: The HAMP Termination Act;
Bill H.839
; vote number 11-HV198
on Mar 29, 2011
Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution.
Fincher signed Balanced Budget Amendment
Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States:- Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a 3/5ths rollcall vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts.
- Requires a 3/5ths rollcall vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit.
- Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually.
- Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each chamber by rollcall vote.
- Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (2/3rds of each House concurring therein), That the article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of 3/4ths of the several States within 7 years after the date of its submission for ratification.This article shall take effect beginning with the later of the second fiscal year beginning after its ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after December 31, 2016.
Source: H.J.Res.2 11-HJRES2 on Jan 5, 2011
Audit the Federal Reserve & its actions on mortgage loans.
Fincher co-sponsored Federal Reserve Transparency Act
The Federal Reserve Transparency Act directs:
- the completion, within 12 months, the audit of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Reserve Banks; with a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions.
- Audit and report on the loan files of homeowners in foreclosure in 2009 or 2010, required as part of the enforcement actions taken by the Federal Reserve against supervised financial institutions.
- Prescribes audit contents, including:
- the guidance given by the Federal Reserve to independent consultants retained by the supervised financial institutions regarding procedures to be followed in conducting the file reviews,
- the factors considered by independent consultants when evaluating loan files and the results obtained pursuant to those reviews, and
- the determinations made by such consultants regarding the nature and extent of financial injury sustained by each homeowner as well as the level and type of remediation offered.
Source: H.R.24&S.209 13-HR0024 on Jan 3, 2013
Prioritize critical spending in case debt limit reached.
Fincher co-sponsored Prioritize Spending Act
The Prioritize Spending Act requires amounts necessary for incurred federal obligations, in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit, to be made available to certain obligations, in prioritized order, before all other obligations. Prioritizes such obligations in the following descending order:
- amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt;
- amounts to provide pay to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their active reserve components;
- amounts certified as necessary to carry out vital national security priorities;
- amounts necessary to carry out Social Security monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits; and
- amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program.
Source: H.R.149 13-HR0149 on Jan 3, 2013
Page last updated: Jul 20, 2016