[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6] [House] [Page 7940] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WALL STREET REFORM (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Wall Street reform and ask, Which side are you on? In my opinion, the debate on Wall Street reform is straightforward. There are those who support hardworking American families and small businesses against those who wish to protect the status quo and big Wall Street banks which are to blame for the current recession. For example, last year this House passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. None--that's right, zero--of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle supported that bill. The other side can no longer ignore American families who have worked hard and played by the rules, only to see their homes foreclosed on, their retirement savings lost, their business destroyed, or their jobs wiped out. We need commonsense reforms and stronger consumer protections to ensure that a crisis on this order of magnitude never happens again. It is time we streamlined government and put a cop on the beat of Wall Street to protect American families and businesses. Absent this cop, Wall Street will regulate itself as it did under the previous administration. The American economy cannot afford to live through real-life tragedy again and neither can her families. ____________________