{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/in-late-night-vote-vp-casts-tie-breaking-vote-to-kill-consumer-protection", "In Late Night Vote, VP Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill Consumer Protection Rule That Would Have Restored Ordinary Americans' Legal Rights When Harmed By Large Financial Firms", "2017-10-25", "2017", "2017-10", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.25.17\n\t\t\t In Late Night Vote, VP Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill Consumer Protection Rule That Would Have Restored Ordinary Americans' Legal Rights When Harmed By Large Financial Firms  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAnother Wall Street Win Over Regular Americans \u2013\r\n\u00a0\r\nIn Late Night Vote, VP Pence Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill CFPB Consumer Protection Rule\r\nThat Would Have Restored Americans\u2019 Legal Rights For Remedies When They Are Harmed By Large Financial Firms\r\n\u00a0\r\n. . . Leahy Has Spotlighted Use Of Forced Arbitration By Such Firms As Wells Fargo And Equifax\r\n\u00a0\r\n[The Senate Tuesday night narrowly passed a measure to kill a new consumer protection rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that would have restored consumers\u2019 rights to band together in class action lawsuits for remedies \u2013 and transparency \u2013 when they are harmed by financial services firms, such as Wells Fargo and Equifax.\u00a0 When applying for commonly used products such as credit cards and other financial services, consumers today are typically forced to sign small-print forced mandatory arbitration clauses, which preclude such lawsuits and compel consumers instead to enter into mandatory arbitration, behind closed doors.\u00a0 Leahy has been a leader in pushing back against this effort by President Trump and congressional Republicans to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to kill the new consumer protection rule.\u00a0 Leahy also is the chief sponsor of the Restoring Statutory Rights Act, which would ensure that when Congress or the states have created rights and remedies for injured victims, they are able to enforce those rights and remedies in court.\u00a0 Leahy\u2019s bill, which is pending before the Judiciary Committee, also makes clear that when states take action to address forced arbitration \u2013 as Vermont and other states have tried to do \u2013 federal law should not interfere.\u00a0 The effort to kill the CFPB rule was strongly supported by powerful Wall Street interests.\u00a0 The Senate vote Tuesday night was 51 to 50, with Vice President Pence casting the tie-breaking vote.\u00a0 The House already has passed the same CRA measure, which now goes to the President\u2019s desk for signing.\u00a0 Leahy voted against killing the consumer protection rule and entered a statement about the vote (below) into the Congressional Record.]\r\n\u00a0\r\nLeahy Statement On The Congressional Resolution Of Disapproval Relating To The CFPB's Arbitration Rule\r\n   Something truly outrageous is happening today on the floor of the Senate.\u00a0 The resolution we will consider today signals to the American people, in no uncertain terms, that they do not deserve the right to seek justice when big banks or other financial service providers rip them off, leave their personal information exposed to hackers, or engage in discrimination.\u00a0 The resolution of disapproval before us today will strip Americans of their rights in court and will ensure that corporate wrongdoing can remain shrouded in secrecy \u2014 all to protect powerful companies like Wells Fargo and Equifax.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nAccess to our court system is a fundamental principle in American society.\u00a0 It ensures that all those who wrong others, no matter how powerful, are equal in the eyes of the law and can be held accountable.\u00a0 That may no longer be the case.\u00a0 Access to our courts is under assault by companies that slip forced arbitration clauses into the fine print of agreements for basic services like checking accounts and credit cards.\u00a0 For some of these companies, like Equifax, consumers are not even their customers.\u00a0 They sell consumers\u2019 financial information to other companies.\u00a0 They have little incentive to protect consumers or even treat them fairly.\u00a0 That is how Equifax can actually make significant profits after it carelessly allowed the personal information of half of the adult population in the United States to be compromised.\u00a0 This is wrong.\r\nThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rightly put some commonsense limitations on the abuse of forced arbitration clauses.\u00a0 The rule provides that financial services companies cannot force consumers to sign away their right to join a class action lawsuit.\u00a0 The rule also requires more transparency when arbitration is used to ensure that wrongdoing cannot be hidden by powerful companies to keep consumers in the dark.\u00a0 Protecting consumers in this way should not be controversial.\r\nWith the blunt instrument of a resolution of disapproval, the Majority is seeking to strike the CFPB\u2019s rule and prevent it from ever implementing a similar rule in the future.\u00a0 This action, through a simple majority vote, would slam the courthouse door shut on every American who is ever ripped off by a company like Wells Fargo or has their sensitive personal information carelessly left unprotected by a company like Equifax.\u00a0 If we go down the path of striking this rule, consumers will only be left with the same empty, meaningless apologies we always hear from these companies when they are finally caught red-handed.\r\nI hope the American people are following this vote today.\u00a0 If they want to know whether their senator stands with them, or stands with corporate abusers, they will certainly find out.\u00a0 Whose side will the Senate be on when the roll call is taken on this key vote?\u00a0 The American people, and their rights as citizens and as consumers?\u00a0 Or the powerful corporate interests who are pushing to repeal this protective rule?\u00a0 We shall soon see.\u00a0\r\nThis should not be a partisan issue.\u00a0 We all represent the American people.\u00a0 It is time we act like it.\u00a0 The Vermonters I represent are watching.\u00a0 They now what is at stake by repealing this rule. I urge every Senator who shared my outrage at Wells Fargo and Equifax to take a stand and reject this shameful resolution.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tDavid Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/in-late-night-vote-vp-casts-tie-breaking-vote-to-kill-consumer-protection"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4570589885115623, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}