Many organizations have come out in support of the Stop Wall Street Looting Act, the first comprehensive reform of the predatory private equity industry. This legislation was introduced in Congress today.
“I would say that there is a history of dumping on the postal service, and Congress certainly hasn’t helped the situation over the years,” said Porter McConnell, campaign director of Take on Wall Street, co-founder of the Save the Post Office coalition. “That said, stepping into this history in Louis DeJoy, uniquely ill-suited to the moment.”
AFR joined a letter urging Congressional leaders to make sure that policies across the housing continuum are comprehensively included in the Budget Reconciliation Bill, especially those with a strong focus on affordable homeownership.
AFR sent a letter to Congress in support of H.R. 3332, H.R. 4618, H.R. 4619 and H.R. 4620, and in opposition to H.R. 935.
AFR sent a letter urging the Biden Administration to take a faster pace in filling key regulatory and financial policy positions. The letter calls out how the Administration’s slow pace in these appointments has undermined its racial justice and climate change agendas.
AFR joined a letter to Congress in support of The Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act.
During the 2019-20 election cycle, Wall Street spent at least $2.9 billion on campaign contributions and lobbying to influence policy in Washington, according to a report released today by Americans for Financial Reform. That total, which amounts to $4 million a day, shatters the previous record of $2 billion set in the 2015-16 presidential cycle. The highest-ever level of spending by Wall Street banks and financial services reflects the industry’s relentless push to influence decision-making, regardless of the party that controls Congress or the executive branch.
On January 6, 2021, Congress was scheduled to formally certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. But based on spurious allegations of voter fraud, 147 Republican members of the Senate and the House of Representatives voted to object to either the results in Arizona or Pennsylvania or both. Individuals and entities associated with the financial sector reported making a total of $43,483,590 in contributions to these members.
Today, Americans for Financial Reform released a record of votes during the 116th Congress regarding consumer protections and Wall Street accountability. During the 116th Congress, the Democratic-led House of Representatives advanced a number of measures to strengthen consumer protections and to put in place enforcement tools to hold bad actors in the financial industry accountable for abusive, discriminatory, and fraudulent practices.
AFR joined a letter strongly supporting the Force Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (FAIR Act). The letter stated that the legislation would ensure that workers, consumers, servicemembers, nursing home residents, ordinary investors, and small businesses harmed by bad actors will be able to bring valid claims in court, and would not be forced into private, secretive, corporate-controlled arbitration systems required by nonnegotiable contracts. It argued for the particular need for Congress to move forward with this legislation in light of the economic hardship facing working families during the pandemic.