This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) that detailed a number of Republican criticisms of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), a federal initiative which helped homeowners facing foreclosure to modify their home mortgage loans. This amendment was offered to legislation eliminating HAMP.

Specifically, the amendment added a “findings” section to the underlying bill stating a number of reasons why Republicans sought to eliminate HAMP. For example, the amendment noted that while the program was intended to help 3 to 4 million homeowners, only 607,600 mortgage modifications had been made thus far. The amendment also stated that eliminating HAMP would have saved taxpayers “approximately” $1.4 billion.

Hanna urged support for his amendment: “…This amendment would add a findings section detailing the flaws of the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP….In keeping with the spirit of transparency, this amendment would include within the bill the specific reasons why we should end the failed HAMP program.….Too often, our constituents receive biased or incomplete information on the issues we are discussing in Congress, thus making it difficult for them to make informed assessments of our work. Including additional facts on the intended consequences of legislation is beneficial to the public. That is why I urge support for the Hanna amendment and the underlying bill.”

Democrats opposing this amendment did not speak directly to its specific criticisms. During earlier debate, however, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) did respond specifically to Republican attacks on HAMP: “…This is a program that I'm the first to admit has not lived up to what our hopes were. This program we had hoped would help several million people. Thus far we've only helped about 550,000 people. I fully admit that this program, like all the other foreclosure programs, could use a healthy dose of reconsideration and improvement, and I'm happy to work with that. But to simply repeal all of these programs is to walk away from individual homeowners, walk away from neighborhoods….Every single State in this nation has homeowners who have been helped [by HAMP]. In Illinois, 29,000 homes have been saved; in North Carolina, 10,000 homes; in my own State, 12,000 homes and counting….But to simply walk away without offering an alternative means we don't care; this Congress doesn't care if you lose your home, period.”

The House agreed to this amendment by a vote of 247-170. Voting “yea” were 235 Republicans and 12 Democrats. 168 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted “nay.” As a result, the House agreed to an amendment detailing a number of Republican criticisms of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), a federal initiative which Republicans sought to eliminate—and which helped homeowners facing foreclosure to modify their home mortgage loans.