The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the Financial CHOICE Act on Thursday afternoon in a move critics—who call it the #WrongChoiceAct—say puts the U.S. economy on a path towards the next large-scale financial meltdown.
“If it were to be passed by the Senate and become law, this bill would make future financial crises more likely and more damaging.” —Josh Bivens, Economic Policy InstituteWith a final vote of 233 to 186, only one Republican joined with Democrats in voting “nay.” The final roll call is here.
As the Washington Post notes, “Democrats and progressive groups, who argue banks need more oversight, not less, are preparing to use the issue to animate supporters still angry that Wall Street banks have not paid a bigger price for the financial crisis. Many have expressed particular concern over a provision that would curtail the powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and reduce its independence by having its director report to the president.”
The bill now goes to the Senate and though its passage is anything but assured, critics of the Republican measure howled their disapproval and offered stark warnings to those members of congress who voted in its favor on Thursday.
BREAKING: House Republicans vote to roll back #DoddFrank & gut the CFPB, giving bankers everything they want. #WrongChoiceAct #FightFor15 pic.twitter.com/SEPzIlKRyN
— Fight For 15 (@fightfor15) June 8, 2017
#WrongChoiceAct passed by the House would gut common sense rules that made sure Wall St. works for, rather than preys on, American families. https://t.co/dvZ3KCy3uw
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) June 8, 2017
Fresh off #ComeyTestimony, @HouseGOP passed #WrongCHOICEAct to repeal #DoddFrank and weaken consumer protections. #VoteThemOut
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) June 8, 2017
All who lost their homes & savings to #WallStreet seem to matter little to the GOPers who just voted to gut #DoddFrank. #WrongChoiceAct https://t.co/6hmeF08YLb
— Democracy Awakening (@DemAwakening) June 8, 2017
We call it the #WrongChoiceAct. It’s good for Wall Street, but bad for consumers, Main Street, and the rest of us. Strongly opposed. https://t.co/jds4wGSMWZ
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) June 8, 2017
CHOICE Act would make future financial crises more likely https://t.co/KIkAVPhLap #WrongCHOICEAct
— Economic Policy Inst (@EconomicPolicy) June 8, 2017
Trump’s allies in House passed the #WrongCHOICEAct, which will benefit their billionaire friends at the expense of every day Americans. https://t.co/CnuQRXQ1fr
— Demos (@Demos_Org) June 8, 2017
Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute, called the passage a “terrible decision” by the House Republicans. “If it were to be passed by the Senate and become law, this bill would make future financial crises more likely and more damaging,” Bivens said. “It would strip away protections against American households being swindled again by the worst actors in the financial sector.”
According to Bivens, “It’s hard to imagine a bill that could do more broad-based damage to the future economic security of America’s working families.”
Via Common Dreams. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license.