mr. chairman , i thank the gentlemen from the financial services committee , mr. frank and mr. oxley for working in a bipartisan way to build broad support for the gse reform bill they bring to the floor today . 
this bill was reported from the committee by a vote of 65-5 . 
but today that spirit of working together for common sense reforms and for the good of the people seems to have vanished . 
the first order of business will be to consider a manager 's amendment that will eviscerate a provision of the bill that is central to the broad support it enjoys -- the affordable housing program funded through a small percentage of the profits of fannie mae and freddie mac . 
if enacted , it will be the first affordable housing resource created without using federal dollars since congress established the federal home loan banks affordable housing program in 1989 . 
mr. chairman , for too long many of america 's low-income families have struggled to find affordable , safe , decent housing . 
budget cuts and rising development costs mean that fewer units are built under existing programs each year . 
we are losing more affordable housing than we are building . 
therefore it is vital that a new dedicated funding stream for affordable housing be created . 
unfortunately , my republican conservative colleagues hijacked this bill in an effort to strip away the bipartisan housing fund . 
when they were not able to completely get rid of it , they limited its use by blocking nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups , who engage in vote registration with their own funds , from even applying for grants to build affordable housing . 
there are no similar restrictions on `` for-profit '' organizations . 
this is not fair . 
as catholic charities has pointed out , `` encouraging citizens to exercise their right to vote is an integral part of the catholic church 's religious and moral mission and reinforces individual responsibility for the common good ... .. 
catholic charities agencies should not be forced to choose between affordable housing funds and fulfillment of their religious mission. '' it is unacceptable to force a poisoned choice on these entities : to help fill critical housing needs or to exercise their basic civic responsibilities . 
most importantly , it is an unacceptable barrier to americans ' right to vote . 
our democracy depends on protecting the right of every american citizen to vote -- and to register to vote -- in every election . 
as the supreme court noted : `` no right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the law , under which , as good citizens , we must live. '' we dare not , we must not create barriers on the right to vote and undermine 40 years of progress . 
it is a chilling precedent and a path we should refuse to walk . 
no church , no religious order , no faith-based group or non-profit organization should face the prospect of being deemed ineligible for money to help low-income , elderly , or disabled individuals find affordable homes simply because they offer a full range of services , including counseling , clothing , mentoring , and -- yes -- helping people fulfill their right to participate in their government . 
mr. chairman , today we honor the life of rosa parks . 
we must use the opportunity in this bill to recommit ourselves to the ideals of equality and opportunity that are both our hope and our future . 
we must defeat this cynical , political strategy to divide us once again . 
i urge my colleagues to support our effort to strip these mean-spirited restrictions from the bill . 
