Barney Frank | |
|---|---|
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| Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Spencer Bachus |
| Succeeded by | Maxine Waters |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | John LaFalce |
| Succeeded by | Spencer Bachus |
| Chair of theHouse Financial Services Committee | |
| In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Oxley |
| Succeeded by | Spencer Bachus |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Drinan |
| Succeeded by | Joe Kennedy III |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Eliot Wadsworth |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Vallely |
| Constituency | 5th Suffolk district (1973–1979) 8th Suffolk district (1979–1981) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barnett Frank (1940-03-31)March 31, 1940 (age 85) Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Harvard University (BA,JD) |
Frank on the need for theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Recorded September 29, 2008 | |
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a retired American politician. He served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts from 1981 to 2013. ADemocrat, Frank served as chairman of theHouse Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011 and was a leading co-sponsor of the 2010Dodd–Frank Act. Frank, a resident ofNewton, Massachusetts, was considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States during his time in Congress.[1][2][3][4][5]
Born and raised inBayonne, New Jersey, Frank graduated fromBayonne High School,Harvard College andHarvard Law School.[6] He worked as a political aide before winning election to theMassachusetts House of Representatives in 1972. He was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives in 1980 with 52 percent of the vote. He was re-elected every term thereafter by wide margins. In 1987, he publiclycame out asgay, becoming the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. From 2003 until his retirement, Frank was the leading Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, and he served as committee chairman when his party held a House majority from 2007 to 2011. In July 2012, he married his long-time partner, James Ready, becoming the first member of Congress to marry someone of the same sex while in office.[7][8] Frank did not seek re-election in2012, and was succeeded by fellow DemocratJoe Kennedy III.[9] Frank's autobiography,A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage, was published in 2015.[10][11]
Prior to his time in the House of Representatives, Frank served in theMassachusetts House of Representatives from 1973 to 1981.[12][13][14][15]
Frank was born inBayonne, New Jersey, one of four children of Elsie (née Golush) and Samuel Frank.[16][17] His family was Jewish, and his grandparents had emigrated from Poland and Russia.[18] Frank's father ran a truck stop inJersey City—a place Frank has described as "totally corrupt"—and when Frank was 6 or 7, his father served a year in prison for refusing to testify to agrand jury against Frank's uncle.[19] Frank was educated atBayonne High School, before matriculating atHarvard College, where he resided in Matthews Hall his first year and then inKirkland House andWinthrop House. He graduated in 1962.
Frank's undergraduate studies were interrupted by the death of his father, and Frank took a year off to help resolve the family's affairs prior to his graduation.[19] In 1964, he was a volunteer in Mississippi duringFreedom Summer.[20] He taught undergraduates at Harvard while studying for a PhD in government, but left in 1968 before completing the degree, to become Boston mayorKevin White's Chief Assistant, a position he held for three years. He then served for a year as Administrative Assistant to CongressmanMichael J. Harrington. In 1977, Frank graduated fromHarvard Law School, where he was once a student ofHenry Kissinger,[21] while serving as a Massachusetts state representative.
In 1972, Frank was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives where he served for eight years.[13][12][14][15] He made a name for himself in the mid-1970s as a political defender of theCombat Zone, Boston's notoriousred-light district. Neighborhoods in Frank's district bordered the Combat Zone. As a means of dealing with crime in the area (including violence, police corruption and the infiltration by organized crime), he introduced a bill into theMassachusetts General Court that would have legalized the sex-for-hire business but kept it quarantined in a red-light district, which would have been moved to Boston's Financial District.[22][23]
In 1979, Frankwas admitted to the bar in Massachusetts. While in state and local government, he taught, part-time, at theUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and atBoston University. He published numerous articles on politics and public affairs; in 1992, he publishedSpeaking Frankly, an essay on the role the Democratic Party should play in the 1990s.
In 1980, Frank ran for theU.S. House of Representatives in the 4th congressional district, hoping to succeed ReverendRobert Drinan, who had left Congress, following a call byPope John Paul II for priests to withdraw from political positions. In the Democraticprimary held on September 16, 1980, Frank won 52% of the vote in a four-candidate field.[24][25] As the Democratic nominee, he facedRepublican Richard A. Jones in the general election and won narrowly, 52–48%.[26][27]
For his first term, Frank represented a district in the western and southern suburbs of Boston, anchored byBrookline and his hometown ofNewton. However, in 1982,redistricting forced him to run againstRepublicanMargaret Heckler, who represented a district centered on theSouth Coast, includingFall River andNew Bedford. Although the newly configured district retained Frank's district number—the 4th—it was geographically more Heckler's district. Frank focused on Heckler's initial support for PresidentRonald Reagan's tax cuts, and won with 60% of the vote.[28]
Frank did not face another serious race again for a quarter-century.[29][30] From 1984 to 2008, he won re-election 12 times with at least 66% of the vote;[31] in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006, this was with a more than overwhelming 97% of the vote, with no challenge from a major political party, while in 1986 and 2004 he was opposed only byindependent candidates, with the Republicans declining to field a candidate against him.
In 2010, Frank ran for his 16th term. Public opinion polling showed him facing his first credible challenge since defeating Heckler in 1982. His opponent was RepublicanSean Bielat, a U.S. Marine veteran and businessman.[32] In mid-September, an internal poll showed Frank leading 48–38%.[33] In late October, he loaned his campaign $200,000.[34] In early October,The Cook Political Report changed its assessment of the district from "solid Democratic" to "likely Democratic"—meaning that while Frank was favored, a victory by Bielat could not be entirely ruled out. While Frank had a 3-to-1 advantage in terms of cash on hand, Bielat outraised him in September.[35] On October 25, a survey byThe Boston Globe showed Frank leading 46–33%.[36] Frank won re-election to his 16th term, 54–43%.[37]
On November 28, 2011, Frank announced at a news conference that he would not seek re-election in 2012.
In 1985, Frank was still publiclycloseted. That year he hired Steve Gobie, amale prostitute, for sex, and they became "more friends than sexual partners."[38] Frank housed Gobie and hired him with personal funds as an aide, housekeeper and driver and paid for his attorney and court-ordered psychiatrist.[38]
In 1987, Frank evicted Gobie after being advised by his landlord that Gobie kept escorting despite the support and was doing so in the residence.[38][39] Later that year, Gobie's friends persuaded him that he had a gay male version ofMayflower Madam, a TV movie about an escort service.[38] In 1989, Gobie tried to initiate a bidding war for the story betweenWUSA-TV (Channel 9),The Washington Times, andThe Washington Post.[38] He then gave the story toThe Washington Times for nothing, in hopes of getting a book contract.[39]
Amid calls for an investigation, Frank asked theHouse Ethics Committee to investigate his relationship "in order to ensure that the public record is clear."[40] The Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved in the alleged illegal activity and dismissed all Gobie's more scandalous claims; they recommended a reprimand for Frank using his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum relating to Gobie's criminal probation record.[41] The House voted 408–18 to reprimand Frank.[42][43]
The attempts tocensure and expel Frank were led by RepublicanLarry Craig.[44][45][46] Eventually, Frank would criticize Craig for hypocrisy after Craig's ownarrest in 2007 for lewd conduct in a public restroom.[47] Despite the controversy, Frank won re-election in 1990 with 66 percent of the vote, and by larger margins until the2010 mid-term elections when his victory margin went down to eleven points.[48]
In 2003, a documentary film about Barney Frank entitledLet's Get Frank was released. The documentary recounted Barney Frank's struggle coming out in public and political life as a prominent gay man, the height of which was his reprimand following the Gobie scandal, and documented Frank's dedicated defense ofU.S. President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial in January and February 1999.[49] At the time of its release,Let's Get Frank received mixed reviews, some celebrating the film, as Ken Eisner did inVariety,[49] and others struggling with director Bart Everly's distinct style and the dual telling of Frank's own personal story along with that of theClinton Impeachment Trial through Frank's eyes, as Ed Halter did inThe Village Voice.[50] This work has since been included in the film canon, and is now considered to be a classic.[51][52]
"Mr. Frank has earned a reputation during his 28 years in Congress as a sharp-tongued and quick-witted debater," summarizedThe New York Times in 2008.[53] In one quip, in reading theStarr Report detailing PresidentBill Clinton's relationship withMonica Lewinsky, he complained that it was "too much reading aboutheterosexual sex".[54] Despite being on opposites sides during theimpeachment, Frank was good friends with representativeHenry Hyde praising his efforts to keep the impeachment "personality free".[55]
In 2004 and again in 2006, a survey of Capitol Hill staffers published inWashingtonian gave Frank the title of the "brainiest", "funniest", and "most eloquent" member of the House.[56] In 2008, the same survey named him "brainiest", and runner up for "workhorse", and "most eloquent";[57] in 2010, he was named "brainiest", "workhorse", and "funniest".[58] He is also widely considered to have been, during his tenure, one of the most powerful or smart members of Congress.[59][60][61] Democratic speech writer—and later U.S. representative for New Jersey—Josh Gottheimer, in his bookRipples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches, describes Frank as "one of the brightest and most energetic defenders of civil rights issues."[62]
Frank was scrutinized for campaign contributions fromFannie Mae andFreddie Mac.OpenSecrets reported in 2009 that Frank received over $42,000 in campaign contributions from the two organizations since 1989.[63] Fannie Mae also made grants in 1994 and 2001 of $75,000 to a charity cofounded by Frank's mother.[64]Bill Sammon, political editor ofFox News, claimed the donations from Fannie and Freddie influenced his support of their lending programs, and said that Frank did not play a strong enough role in reforming the institutions in the years leading up to theeconomic crisis of 2008.[65] In their 2011 bookReckless Endangerment,New York Times business reporterGretchen Morgenson and co-author Josh Rosner called Frank a "major recipient of Fannie Mae's largesse, albeit indirectly" and "a perpetual protector of Fannie."[66]
Additionally, in 1991, Fannie Mae hired Herb Moses, Frank's domestic partner, to a managerial position following a recommendation by Frank. While with Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998, Moses oversaw projects "relaxing Fannie Mae's restrictions on home improvement loans and small farm mortgages", wrote Morgenson and Rosner.[66] During a 1991 hearing of the House Banking subcommittee on housing and community development, Frank objected to a proposal byCongressional Budget Office directorRobert Reischauer to make "safety and soundness" the primary objective for Fannie Mae, aggressively enough that subcommittee chairHenry B. Gonzalez needed to intervene to allow Reischauer a chance to speak.[64]In 2006, a Fannie Mae representative stated in SEC filings that they "did not participate in large amounts of these non-traditional mortgages in 2004 and 2005."[67] In response to criticism, Frank said, "In 2004, it was Bush who started to push Fannie and Freddie into subprime mortgages, because they were boasting about how they were expanding homeownership for low-income people. And I said at the time, 'Hey—(a) this is going to jeopardize their profitability, but (b) it's going to put people in homes they can't afford, and they're gonna lose them.'"[19]In 2009 Frank responded to what he called "wholly inaccurate efforts by Republicans to blame Democrats, and [me] in particular" for thesubprime mortgage crisis, which is linked to the2008 financial crisis.[68] He outlined his efforts to reform these institutions and add regulations, but met resistance from Republicans, with the main exception being a bill with RepublicanMike Oxley that died because of opposition from President Bush.[68] The 2005 bill included Frank objectives, which were to impose tighter regulation of Fannie and Freddie and new funds for rental housing. Frank and Mike Oxley achieved broad bipartisan support for the bill in the Financial Services Committee, and it passed the House. But the Senate never voted on the measure, in part because President Bush was likely to veto it. "If it had passed, that would have been one of the ways we could have reined in the bowling ball going downhill called housing," Oxley told Frank. In an op-ed piece inThe Wall Street Journal,Lawrence B. Lindsey, a former economic adviser to President George W. Bush, wrote that Frank "is the only politician I know who has argued that we needed tighter rules that intentionally produce fewer homeowners and more renters."[19] Once control shifted to the Democrats, Frank was able to help guide both the Federal Housing Reform Act (H.R. 1427) and the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act (H.R. 3915) to passage in 2007.[68] Frank also said that the Republican-ledGramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999, which repealed part of theGlass–Steagall Act of 1933 and removed the wall between commercial and investment banks, contributed to the financial meltdown.[68] Frank stated further that "during twelve years of Republican rule no reform was adopted regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In 2007, a few months after I became the chairman, the House passed a strong reform bill; we sought to get the [Bush] administration's approval to include it in the economic stimulus legislation in January 2008; and finally got it passed and ontoPresident Bush's desk in July 2008. Moreover, "we were able to adopt it in nineteen months, and we could have done it much quicker if the [Bush] administration had cooperated."[citation needed]
As former chairman of theHouse Financial Services Committee, beginning in 2007, Frank was "at the center of power".[29] Frank has been a critic of aspects of theFederal Reserve system, partnering with some Republicans in opposition to some policies.[69] Frank says that he and Republican CongressmanRon Paul "first bonded because we were both conspicuous nonworshipers at the Temple of the Fed and of the High PriestAlan Greenspan."[69]
Frank has been involved in mortgage foreclosure bailout issues.[70] In 2008 Frank supported passage of the American Housing Rescue & Foreclosure Prevention Act, intended to protect thousands of homeowners fromforeclosure.[29] This law,H.R. 3221, is considered one of the most important and complex issues on which he worked.[29][71] In an August 2007 op-ed piece inFinancial Times, Frank wrote, "In the debate between those who believe in essentiallyunregulated markets and others who hold thatreasonable regulation diminishes market excesses without inhibiting their basic function, thesubprime situation unfortunately provides ammunition for the latter view."[72] Frank was also instrumental in the passage ofH.R. 5244, theCredit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008, a measure that drew praise from editorial boards and consumer advocates.[73][74][75] In 2007. Frank co-sponsored legislation to reform the Section 202 refinancing program, which is for affordable housing for the elderly, and Section 811 disabled programs.[76] Frank has been a chief advocate of the National Housing Trust Fund,[19] which was created as part of theHousing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and was the first affordable housing program to be enacted by the Congress since 1990.[77]
During thesubprime mortgage crisis, Frank was characterized as "a key deal-maker, an unlikely bridge between his party's left-wing base and ...free market conservatives" in the Bush administration.[78]Hank Paulson, theU.S. Treasury Secretary for the Bush administration, said he enjoyed Frank's penchant for brokering deals, "he is looking to get things done and make a difference, he focuses on areas of agreement and tries to build on those."[78]
The New York Times noted that theFederal Housing Administration's crucial role in the nation's housing market, providing low-down-payment mortgages during the crisis of 2007–2010 when no mortgages would otherwise have been available, "helped avert full-scale disaster" by helping people purchase or refinance homes and thereby putting a floor under falling home prices. However, due to the tighter flow of credit from the banks, total FHA loans in 2009 were four times that of 2006, raising concern that year that if the economy were to dip back into recession, more Fed funds could be required to keep those loans afloat. Frank's response was that the additional defaults—2.2% more of the total portfolio in 2009 than the year before—were worth the economic stabilization of the broader policy, noting "It was an effort to keep prices from falling too fast." In that context, he opined, "I don't think it's a bad thing that the bad loans occurred." In fact, the unprecedented number of loans made since 2008 were noted to be performing far better than those in the prior two years.[79]
In 2009 Frank had a 100% rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America, indicating apro-choice voting record.[80] He voted against thePartial-Birth Abortion Ban Act,[81] against theUnborn Victims of Violence Act[82] and against restrictions on the transportation of minors across state lines by non-family members to circumvent local abortion laws. In 1993 Frank co-sponsored the "Freedom of Choice Act" (H.R.25) (1993-H25) to "protect the reproductive rights of women".[83][84] In 2006, he co-sponsored the "Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act" (S.3945) (06-S3945), a bill for "emergency contraception for rape victims".[83] In 2007 he co-sponsored the "Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act" (S.1800 & HR.2064) (07-HR2064) to "providing emergency contraception at military facilities"; the "Prevention First Act" (S.21&H.R.463 2009-S21) to "expand access to preventive health care services that help reduceunintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women's health care".[83]
In 1987, Frank was the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations in the100th Congress. In this position, he was one of the staunchest supporters of redress and reparations forJapanese American internment duringWorld War II.[85][86] In 2001, Frank co-sponsored anamendment to theU.S. Constitution to applyequal rights based ongender differences.[87] In 2002 he co-sponsored the "Federal Agency Protection of Privacy Act" (H.R.4561) to require a "Privacy Impact Statement" on new federal rules.[87] In 2002 he was scored at 93% by theAmerican Civil Liberties Union on civil rights issues indicating a pro-civil rights voting record.[87]
In 2006, Frank was one of three Representatives to oppose theRespect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, which restricted protests (notably those ofFred Phelps'Westboro Baptist Church) at soldiers' funerals. He opposed the bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate, oncivil liberties andconstitutional grounds. Frank said of the vote, "I think it's very likely to be found unconstitutional. It's true that when you defend civil liberties you are typically defending people who do obnoxious things ... You play into their hand when you let them provoke you into overdoing it. I don't want these thugs to [make the] claim [that] America is hypocritical."[88] TheNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People scored him at 100% in 2006 indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.[87]
In 2007, Frank co-sponsored the "Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act" (S.2521/H.R.4838) to "provide benefits todomestic partners of Federal employees".[87] That same year, he co-sponsored the "Equal Rights Amendment" (S.J.RES.10/H.J.RES.40) to "strengthen the ongoing efforts of women across the country to obtain equal treatment."[87] In 2009, he signed bills recognizing the 40th anniversary of theStonewall riots and the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.[87]
Frank has been outspoken on manycivil rights issues, including lesbian, gay,bisexual andtransgender (LGBT)rights. In 1987, he publiclycame out as gay.[89] In 1990, Frank was instrumental in crafting the1990 Immigration Act, which restated the reasons for which a person could be denied entry into the country. The act did not include "sexual preference exclusion[s]", reforming earlier immigration law which allowed persons to be excluded for a sexual deviance "afflict[ion]".[90] He said in a 1996 interview: "I'm used to being in the minority. I'm aleft-handed gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." In 1995, then-RepublicanHouse Majority LeaderDick Armey famously referred to Frank as "BarneyFag" in a press interview. Armey apologized and said it was "a slip of the tongue". Frank did not accept Armey's explanation, saying "I turned to my own expert, my mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag."[91] In 1998, Frank founded the national LGBT Democratic organization,National Stonewall Democrats.
In 2006, Frank and incomingHouse SpeakerNancy Pelosi were accused by Rep.John Hostettler (R-IN) of having a "radicalhomosexual agenda"; Frank responded "I do have things I would like to see adopted on behalf of LGBT people: they include theright to marry the individual of our choice; theright to serve in the military to defend our country; and theright to a job based solely on our own qualifications.[19][92] I acknowledge that this is an agenda, but I do not think that any self-respectingradical in history would have considered advocating people's rights to get married, join the army, and earn a living as a terribly inspiringrevolutionary platform."[92] Frank's stance onouting gay Republicans has been called the "Frank Rule" whereby acloseted person who uses her or his power, position, or notoriety to hurtLGBT people can be outed.[93] The issue became relevant during theMark Foley scandal of 2006, during which Frank clarified his position onHBO'sReal Time with Bill Maher: "I think there's aright to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right tohypocrisy. And people who want to demonize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves."[94]
In February 2009, Frank was one of threeopenly gay members of Congress, along withTammy Baldwin ofWisconsin andJared Polis ofColorado. In April 2009, Frank was named in the LGBT magazineOut's "Annual Power 50 List", landing at the top spot.[59]
In 2006 theHuman Rights Campaign scored him at 100% indicating a pro-gay-rights stance.[87]
In 2000, Frank was rated at 89% byCitizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants, indicating pro-rehabilitation crime votes.[95] He co-sponsored "Innocence Protection Act of 2001" (H.R. 912, S.486) to "reduce the risk that innocent persons may be executed [by examining DNA evidence more thoroughly]" and the "National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2001" (H.R.1038, S.233) to limit capital punishment until theNational Commission on the Death Penalty reviewed the "fairness of the imposition of the death penalty".[95] In 2001, he also co-sponsored the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" (01-HR1343) to "provide Federal assistance to States and local jurisdictions to prosecutehate crimes."[95] Frank co-sponsored the "Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007" to reducerecidivism. (this became Public Law No: 110-199).[95]
In 2001, Frank authored the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act (H.R. 2592), an attempt to stop the federal government from preemptingstate medical marijuana laws.[96] He consistently voted for the bipartisanHinchey–Rohrabacher amendment, annually proposed byMaurice Hinchey (D-NY) andDana Rohrabacher (R-CA), to prohibit theJustice Department from prosecuting individuals complying with state medical cannabis laws.[97] In March 2008, he proposed thePersonal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would havelegalized at the federal level small amounts of the drug, but which died in committee during the 110th Congress. On June 18, 2009, he re-introduced the bill as thePersonal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 (HR 2943).[98] On June 23, 2011, Frank introduced theEnding Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act to remove marijuana from theControlled Substances Act.[99] Commenting on legislation to remove federal criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, Frank stated "In a free society a large degree of human activity is none of the government's business. We should make criminal what's going to hurt other people and other than that we should leave it to people to make their own choices."[100] In 2003, he was rated "A" by Vote Hemp, indicating a pro-hemp voting record.[101] In 2006 he was rated "+30" byNORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance.[101] In 2007 he co-sponsored the "Drug Sentencing Reform & Kingpin Trafficking Act" ((S.1711) 07-S1711) to "target cocaine kingpins and address sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine".[101] In 2008, Frank sponsored "Removing Impediments to Students Education" (RISE) ((H.R.5157) 08-HR5157) to allow rehabilitated drug offenders to get student loans.[101]
In 2009 Frank signed the "Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act" (HR 179 2009-H179) to "use Federal funds forsyringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viralhepatitis" and theIndustrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 (H.R.1866 2009-H1866) to "grant each state regulating authority for the growing and processing of industrial hemp."[101]
Frank was a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus established in 1996 to "promoting growth and advancement of the Internet and advance the United States' world leadership in the digital world".[102] In 2001, he co-sponsored the "Anti-Spamming Act" (01-HR718) to protect people and businesses from "unsolicited and unwanted electronic mail".[102]In 2006, Frank voted for the "Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act" (Bill HR 5252 Amendment 987) to "establish "network neutrality" (non-tiered Internet)."[102] In 2008, Frank voted against the "FISA Amendments Act" (Bill HR6304) which would give retroactive immunity for those involved in theNSA warrantless surveillance controversy.[102] That same year, he co-sponsored overturningFCC approval of media consolidation (S.J.RES.28&H.J.RES.79 2008-SJR28).[102]
In 1993, Frank co-sponsored "Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments" (H.R.3392) to regulate more contaminants under theClean Water Act.[103] In 2001, he co-sponsored the "National Forest Protection and Restoration Act" (H.R.1494) to "prohibiting commercial logging on Federal public lands".[103] In 2003, he was rated 95% by theLeague of Conservation Voters, indicating pro-environment votes.[103] In 2007, he co-sponsored the "Great Cats and Rare Canids Act" (H.R.1464) to "provide financial resources and to foster international cooperation for promoting conservation of rarefelids &canids".[103] In the same year, he co-sponsored the "Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act" (S.261/H.R.137) to "strengthen prohibitions againstanimal fighting".[103]
In 1996 Frank co-sponsored the "Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance Act" (H.R.4111. Became Public Law No: 104–238.) "to provide educational assistance to the dependents of Federal law enforcement officials who are killed or disabled in the performance of their duties."[104] In 2001 Frank co-sponsored "the MX Missile Stand-Down Act" (01-HR2718) to take fiftyPeacekeeper missiles off of high-alert status as well as the Landmine Elimination and Victim Assistance Act (01-HR948).[104] As of December 2003, Frank had an 89% rating byPeace Action, indicating a pro-peace voting record.[104] In 2005, he co-sponsored "Rail Security Act" (S.1379/H.R.153) (05-S1379) giving higher priority to rail transportation security.[104] In 2008, he co-sponsored the "Veterans Suicide Study Act" ( (S.2899/H.R.4204) 08-S2899) designed to study and address suicides among veterans.[104] Frank advocated for a 25-percent reduction in the overallMilitary budget of the United States. "The math is compelling: if we do not make reductions approximating 25 percent of the military budget starting fairly soon, it will be impossible to continue to fund an adequate level of domestic activity ... ," wrote Frank. He claimed that such a significant reduction would have no effect on the United States' ability to defend itself. "If," he said, "beginning one year from now, we were to cut military spending by 25 percent from its projected levels, we would still be immeasurably stronger than any combination of nations with whom we might be engaged."[105] Frank supports having fewerF-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes, but also supports a $3-billionbackup engine project that the Pentagon does not want.[106] Frank toldMSNBC'sKeith Olbermann that he actually wanted to cut the entire F-35 program, but as long as military spending continued, he would fight for his district's share of it.[107]
Frank has partnered withRon Paul in support of online gambling rights. In 2006, both strongly opposed H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act, and H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[108][109] To restore online gambling rights, in 2007 Frank sponsored H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.[110] This bill would have established licensing and regulation of online gaming sites. It provided for age verification and protections for compulsive gamblers. In 2008, he and Paul introduced H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act, a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of theUnlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 while theUnited States Treasury Department and theFederal Reserve defined "unlawful Internet gambling". As a result of these efforts, Frank (who does not gamble) has been praised bypoker players and online gamblers, including many Republicans.[111]
Frank has been a determined supporter of theState of Israel. "The Israeli government has been a wholly democratic one from the beginning," he said in a lecture to students. "It is one of the freest democracies in the world".[112] He attributed the primary reason for Israel's long war to his belief that Palestinians are unwilling to make concessions.
In August 2009, a confidential memo written by theconsul general of Israel in Boston,Nadav Tamir, was leaked to the Israeli media. In the memo, Tamir said that Israel's dealings with theObama administration on differences oversettlements were erodingUS support. After Tamir was reprimanded by theIsraeli government, Frank defended Tamir in a letter sent to Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, in which Frank wrote: "I was sorry to learn that he (Tamir) is being criticized because of his accurate reporting of significant (negative) sentiment in the United States ... If the people who work for me did not give me the kind of straightforward, thoughtful analysis that the consul is providing, even if it wasn't the most welcome news, that failure — not the information — would cause me unhappiness."[113]
In the wake of thefiscal cliff legislation at the start of 2013, Frank stated[114] that he was interested in the interim appointment that GovernorDeval Patrick was expected to make to fillJohn Kerry'sU.S. Senate seat once the latter resigned[115] to serve asUnited States Secretary of State. Frank had initially said he was not interested in the seat, but went on to change his mind, noting that "that [fiscal cliff] deal now means that February, March, and April are going to be among the most important months in American financial history". He said he would not run in the special election that would be held to fill the seat for the remainder of Kerry's term.[116][117]
Frank joined the board of directors of the New York-basedSignature Bank on June 17, 2015.[118][119]
In 2018, Frank was featured onSacha Baron Cohen's spoof comedy seriesWho Is America?, discussing theDonald TrumpAccess Hollywood tape and thePizzagate conspiracy theory with Baron Cohen's alter ego Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr. Frank eventually walked out of the interview.
On December 8, 2022, Frank, despite being retired from the U.S. Congress, was present on the floor of the House of Representatives when theRespect for Marriage Act was successfully passed.[120]
Frank resides in a studio apartment complex inNewton, Massachusetts. His husband, Jim Ready, is asurfing enthusiast whom Frank met during a gay political fundraiser inMaine.[30][121] On July 7, 2012, Frank married Ready at the Boston Marriott Newton in suburbanBoston.[122] Frank's net worth was estimated byOpenSecrets to be between $619,024 and $1,510,000.[123] Frank chose not to participate in theCongressional pension system. He said he did not believe that he would live long enough after retirement to reap benefits over contributions, and that he was convinced that he would remain single and have no beneficiary.[124] His sister,Ann Lewis, served as a senior adviser for theHillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign.[125]
Subsequently, after leaving office, I half jokingly objected when Bill Maher, one of my favorite TV hosts, asked if I felt uncomfortable sitting next to a pot-smoking atheist on the set of his show. I replied that that there were two of us on that stage who fit those categories. The media reached the conclusion that I had come out as an atheist. In fact, I am not an atheist. I don't know enough to have any firm view on the subject, and it has never seemed important to me. I have had a life-long aversion to wrestling with questions that I know I can never answer. My tolerance for intellectual uncertainty is very low.[126]
On August 3, 2013, Frank expressed sympathy with the host'satheism on the television programReal Time with Bill Maher.[127] In his biography, however, Frank states unequivocally that he is not an atheist and is uncomfortable expressing firm views on questions for which he is unable to provide an answer. Frank's agnosticism led him to resolve—if he had been appointed as interim senator—to take theoath of office on theUnited States Constitution, rather than the Bible. For most of his life and entire congressional career, Frank was known as a Jew. Frank continues to identify strongly with the Jewish community and has been careful throughout his career that his agnosticism not reflect negatively on other Jews. For example, when he stopped going to temple services on theHigh Holy Days he was careful to remain at home and out of the public eye so that other Jews would not be criticized using his example.[10]
In May 2014, theAmerican Humanist Association awarded Frank the Humanist of the Year[128] and during his acceptance speech he spoke about his personal beliefs and the complexities of working in government. He talked primarily about the politicized case ofTerri Schiavo and the public's evolving view about government intrusion into personal healthcare decisions.[129]
That notion, that there was a religious obligation to intervene in human affairs, angered most of the American people. You've got to show people what the implications are of the view that religion should govern our public affairs, as opposed to being merely a personal guide.
According to Stuart Weisberg's 2009 biographyBarney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman, Frank dated women in an effort to deny his homosexuality. His last romance with a woman was a nearly two-year-long affair with Irish-American CatholicKathleen Sullivan, a Boston School Committee member and the daughter of formerNew England Patriots ownerBilly Sullivan, that began in 1974. When the two split up, at Frank's instigation, he admitted to her that he was gay. He was still closeted publicly. According to Frank, he "realized it was crazy" to try to have a romance with someone he cared for but was not sexually compatible with due to his homosexuality. "That was the last effort to avoid being gay," Weisberg quotes Frank as saying. Frank never again dated a woman.[130] In 2015, in an interview withBoston Magazine, Frank said it was unfair to Sullivan to date her with him being gay.[131]
Frank startedcoming out as gay to friends before he ran for Congress and came out publicly on May 30, 1987, "prompted in part by increased media interest in his private life" and the death ofStewart McKinney, "aclosetedbisexual Republican representative from Connecticut". Frank toldThe Washington Post after McKinney's death that there was "An unfortunate debate about 'Was he or wasn't he? Didn't he or did he?' I said to myself, I don't want that to happen to me."[132][133][134][note 1] Frank's announcement had little impact on his electoral prospects.[133] Shortly after coming out, Frank met and began dating Herb Moses, an economist and LGBT activist; their relationship lasted for eleven years until an amicable break-up in July 1998.[133][135][136] Moses, who was an executive at Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998, was the first partner of an openly gay member of Congress to receive spousal benefits and the two were considered "Washington's most powerful and influential gay couple".[135]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | % | Republican | Votes | % | Third Party | Party | Votes | % | Third Party | Party | Votes | % | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Barney Frank | 103,466 | 52% | Richard Jones | 95,898 | 48% | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | Barney Frank | 151,305 | 60% | Margaret Heckler | 82,804 | 40% | |||||||||||||
| 1984 | Barney Frank | 172,903 | 74% | Jim Forte | 60,121 | 26% | |||||||||||||
| 1986 | Barney Frank | 134,387 | 89% | No candidate | Thomas DeVisscher | Independent | 16,857 | 11% | |||||||||||
| 1988 | Barney Frank | 169,729 | 70% | Debra Tucker | 71,661 | 30% | |||||||||||||
| 1990 | Barney Frank | 143,473 | 66% | John Soto | 75,454 | 34% | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | Barney Frank | 182,633 | 68% | Edward McCormick | 70,665 | 26% | Luke Lumina | Independent Voters | 13,670 | 5% | Dennis Ingalls | Freedom for LaRouche | 2,797 | 1% | |||||
| 1994 | Barney Frank | 168,942 | 99% | No candidate | Others | 853 | 1% | ||||||||||||
| 1996 | Barney Frank | 183,844 | 72% | Jonathan Raymond | 72,701 | 28% | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | Barney Frank | 148,340 | 98% | No candidate | Others | 2,380 | 2% | ||||||||||||
| 2000 | Barney Frank | 200,638 | 75% | Martin Travis | 56,553 | 21% | David Euchner | Libertarian | 10,553 | 4% | |||||||||
| 2002 | Barney Frank | 166,125 | 99% | No candidate | Others | 1,691 | 1% | ||||||||||||
| 2004 | Barney Frank | 219,260 | 78% | No candidate | Charles Morse | Independent | 62,293 | 22% | |||||||||||
| 2006 | Barney Frank | 196,513 | 98% | No candidate | Others | 2,730 | 1% | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | Barney Frank | 203,032 | 68% | Earl Sholley | 75,571 | 25% | Susan Allen | Independent | 19,848 | 7% | |||||||||
| 2010 | Barney Frank | 126,194 | 54% | Sean Bielat | 101,517 | 43% | Susan Allen | Independent | 3,445 | 1% | Donald Jordan | Tax Revolt Independent | 2,873 | 1% |
Barney Frank has been called the "smartest guy in Congress"...
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 4th congressional district 1981–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Financial Services Committee 2007–2011 | |
| New office | Chair of theCongressional Equality Caucus 2008–2013 Served alongside:Tammy Baldwin | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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