Congress

Meanwhile, House Republicans Vote for Another Financial Crisis

Written by SK Ashby

I know. There's no end to the shit today, is there? I haven't even covered half the shit, but bear with me.

The House Financial Services Committee has voted along party lines to gut the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

In a party line 34-to-26 vote, the panel voted to remove restrictions the Obama administration placed on banks if they agree to hold a higher level of capital.

The measure, called the Financial Choice Act, would repeal the Volcker rule that prohibited banks from speculating in the markets.

As I'm sure you recall, banks speculating on the value of their own bullshit assets contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. But that's not the only part of the law the Republicans want to cut. They also want to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The only good news I can muster is that passing this in the Senate would require finding 60 votes to bypass a Democratic filibuster. That seems unlikely.