April 21, 2010

Washington, DC— Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement this afternoon after a bipartisan vote in favor of Wall Street accountability legislation in the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier today:

“Nevadans and Americans were forced to pay the price for years of greed and reckless gambling on Wall Street – families lost their homes, small businesses went under, and millions of Americans lost their jobs.  That’s why Senate Democrats are committed to holding Wall Street accountable and putting consumers back in control.

“I commend the work of Chairwoman Lincoln and her entire committee for developing bipartisan legislation that brings sunlight to shadowy, unregulated financial markets where Wall Street makes risky bets that expose all Americans to potential harm.’ By stopping these practices, we’re protecting Nevada jobs and small businesses.  This legislation promises that never again will Nevada families be taken advantage of by a financial system that stacks the deck against the middle class.

“Despite the efforts of some Republicans to protect Wall Street, I am pleased that we were able to break the gridlock of obstruction in a bipartisan way and take another important step toward real reform.  Democrats look forward to considering this proposal during floor debate on Wall Street reform in the coming weeks, and ending business as usual on Wall Street.”