"This housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America: our homes, the place where we invest our nest egg, place where we raise our family ... the place where we build memories."
— President Barack Obama, who proposed a vast expansion of government assistance to homeowners.
"He wants lenders to make more of the same risky loans without documentation of income or ability to repay that got us into this mess in the first place."
— Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on Obama's housing proposal.
