Published: November 2015

The highway bill turned into a dangerous road for consumers

A $325m transportation funding bill has been saddled with 260 amendments as legislators attempt to sneak their preferred provisions into law. The proposed Highway Trust Fund bill contains 181 amendments that are transportation related, while 88 of the amendments are non-transportation related and hazardous to consumers. Consumer advocates oppose several of the bill’s amendments that include efforts to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, deregulate large regional banks and outsource IRS debt collection to private collectors. All of these measures are substantive and deserve individual debate instead of being grouped in with unrelated legislation.

Consumer Action joined 12 other consumer advocates in urging Congress to oppose the entire Highway Trust Fund bill, which contains nearly 88 amendments that are non-transportation related. One of the most outrageous amendments tied to the bill was added by House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). The provisions found in the Hensarling amendment are completely unrelated to transportation funding, favor big banks over consumers and should be voted on as stand-alone legislation. Tacking on unrelated amendments like Hensarling’s is an attempt by Wall Street and their Congressional cronies to weaken financial reforms that protect consumers. After the terrible lesson of the financial crisis, any attempts to reverse of the progress we have made on financial reform must at the very least be debated and voted on as stand-alone measures in an open process.

Lead Organization

Americans for Financial Reform (AFR)

Other Organizations

Alliance for a Just Society | American Federation of Teachers | Center for Responsible Lending | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | NAACP | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients) | National Fair Housing Alliance | Strong Economy For All Coalition | The Other 98% | U.S. PIRG | Woodstock Institute

More Information

To read the coalition letter in full, please click here.

For more information, please visit AFR's website.

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