January 24: Kaptur after State of the Union: Jobs are Job One

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) issued the following statement following President Obama's State of the Union Address:

"As I listened to the president share his vision of a strong America, where our workers innovate and manufacture and compete, I thought about the North Coast and Northern Ohio--because that's what we do.

"When the president talked about "Made in America," I saw the faces of steel workers and autoworkers and solar factory workers--because that's who we are.

"And as I listened to the president talk about the values of our citizens, I thought about the resilient families in Northern Ohio who faced up to tough challenges without flinching and without running away.

"Working together, we will redeem the American Dream and then pass it on to the next generation."

The Congresswoman applauded President Obama's call for a special crimes unit to investigate Wall Street wrongdoing in the 2008 financial meltdown. A leading opponent of Wall Street bailouts, Kaptur welcomed the president's proposals to create a special crimes unit in the Department of Justice to prosecute financial crimes that brought about a collapse of Wall Street and the nation's devastating recession.

Kaptur is the author of a H.R. 1350, the Financial Crisis Criminal Investigation Act, which would authorize the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to hire 1,000 FBI agents as well as additional forensic experts to investigate corporate, securities, and mortgage fraud, and associated violations of law relating to the U.S. financial markets. The bill also authorizes the hiring also of additional employees by the Attorney General and by the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement to conduct related investigations and prosecutions.

"I am thrilled that the President spoke about the investigation and prosecution of those who brought on the devastating collapse of the financial housing and financial markets in this country," said Kaptur. "The American people have paid a steep price for the Wall Street speculation that took America to its economic brink. A commitment to bringing those whose carelessness dealt a blow to our collective worth as a nation, is a first step to restoring the confidence of the American people in their government," Kaptur commented.

"That's why I introduced a bill to require 1,000 prosecutors. I was very happy to hear the president's announcement of a Financial Crimes strike force in the Justice Department. That will be very helpful in Cleveland, Lorain, Sandusky and Toledo, because a lot of people lost their homes when they shouldn't have," said Congresswoman Kaptur.

Click on the graphic below to watch the video.