In what has almost become an annual ritual, the 2017 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill set for mark-up in the House of Representatives today is packed with policy riders that would loosen rules, weaken agencies charged with protecting the public interest, and make it easier for Wall Street banks, shadow banks, and predatory lenders to take advantage of consumers and investors.

This time around, there are riders intended to, among other things, preserve the ability of banks to insulate themselves against consumer lawsuits; place a series of new procedural hurdles in the way of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Securities and Exchange Commission (whose budget would also be slashed by $100 million); terminate the independent funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and replace the Bureau’s single director with a five-member commission – a well-known recipe for weak regulation at best, and gridlock at worst.

Each of these riders would erode gains made through the financial reforms adopted after the 2008 crisis – a goal that commands virtually no support from voters of either party. The impetus for them comes from financial industry lobbyists who are hoping to use backdoor means to achieve unpopular ends.

Last week, AFR and 253 allied organizations sent a letter calling on lawmakers to reject any funding bills that include provisions rolling back or undermining financial reform. Members of Congress and the Administration need to strongly oppose these latest outrageous proposals and this undemocratic process.