Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is pouring cold water on a revised credit card mandate bill from Sens. Roger Marshall (R., Kansas) and Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) as the bill may come up for consideration as an amendment to crypto legislation before the Senate Agricultural Committee.
Mike Palicz, the vice president of federal affairs at ATR, told the Washington Reporter following substantial changes to the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) that “Senators Durbin and Marshall have managed to make a bad bill even worse.” The latest changes to the proposal, Hill sources explained to the Reporter, could “empower left-wing state AGs and allows the AGs to sue on behalf of illegal aliens.”
In the new version of the CCCA, state attorneys general are given “parens patriae authority,” which allows the state attorneys general to sue on behalf of residents. Conservative legal scholars have frequently criticized giving expanded authority to state attorneys general as an abuse of standing requirements.
“Teaming up with Democrat leadership to impose government price controls on our credit cards was bad enough,” Palicz added. “But now the bill hands blue state AGs new powers to launch state-run class action lawsuits to harass and intimidate local businesses. No Republican should be handing Keith Ellison and Letitia James more power.”
For years, Marshall and Durbin, who is retiring from the Senate next year, have advocated for the CCCA, which would overhaul credit card routing. The CCCA is backed by retailers including Walmart and Target, and is opposed by credit unions, banks, the aviation industry, and airlines for being a costly government mandate that will end rewards points for users.
Earlier this year, President Trump came out in support of a prior version of the CCCA, posting on Truth Social: “Everyone should support great Republican Senator Roger Marshall’s Credit Card Competition Act, in order to stop the out of control Swipe Fee ripoff. Roger is a FANTASTIC Senator!!!”
The Washington Reporter will continue to cover the debate closely as it progresses on Capitol Hill.
