releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/op-eds?ContentRecord_id=25181411-4E57-4C68-9037-E83649485998
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/op-eds?ContentRecord_id=25181411-4E57-4C68-9037-E83649485998 | Bipartisanship Makes Better Policy | 2017-12-15 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | These days, Congress is far too often a place of partisanship and grandstanding. Its apparent with the hastily written tax reform bill that is being pushed through Congress which would explode our countrys debt. But during my time in the U.S. Senate, Ive found that if I seek out Republicans and Democrats who really want to work together to find solutions, we can reach results that support North Dakota and the country. In rural America, you can buy a $60,000 pickup truck with a piece of paper, but you have to jump through hoops to buy a $40,000 house. Thats in part because mortgage regulations designed for big banks are harming small community lenders, which most North Dakotans rely on for their banking. This is just one example of how one-size-fits-all regulation hurts rural states like North Dakota. In fact, over the past several years, the number of small community lenders has declined across the country especially in rural areas as they struggle to keep up with new onerous regulations that dont make sense for their business models. By trying to fix too big to fail, weve in many ways created too small to succeed. Thats why Ive been working with Republicans and Democrats to find commonsense solutions to help rural communities like those across North Dakota get ahead. Specifically, over the past several years Ive worked with a small bipartisan group of lawmakers to construct a regulatory relief proposal for community banks and credit unions so they can better serve farmers, small businesses, and families across our state. It was crafted with input from outside experts and after more than two dozen hearings in the Senate Banking Committee. The result is a bill that already has strong bipartisan support from 11 Democrats, 11 Republicans and one Independent, which means it has a good chance to pass and a good chance to make lasting, needed change. It would enable small businesses to get financing to operate, help farmers get loans to support their farms, and help families get loans or mortgages to buy homes. It would also protect your credit by providing extended fraud alerts and free, unlimited, credit freezes. If youre a veteran, a credit bureau would be required to provide free credit monitoring services and they would be prohibited from including paid off or settled medical debt in your credit report. And if you rent your home, youll have added protections from foreclosures. The bill aims to fix overly burdensome regulations that were meant to protect our economy from risky behavior by our nations biggest banks, but have unintentionally hurt small lenders that North Dakotans rely on. If it comes up for a vote in the new year, it has enough support to pass. The thoughtful, bipartisan way we worked on this bill stands in stark contrast to the Republican tax reform bill. As North Dakotas former tax commissioner, Ive been eager to work with Republicans and Democrats on tax reform that supports workers, families, and retirees, while growing the economy and staying fiscally responsible. After holding listening sessions across North Dakota, having many discussions with top White House officials including the president, and trying to change this bill so it supports working families, this bill was crafted behind closed doors with only Republican support. And it shows. It will add more than $1 trillion on our countrys credit card which will be handed to our children and grandchildren. And it tries to buy off middle income families for almost nothing, while the wealthy get richer at their expense. Its bad for North Dakotans, our economy, and our future. Its up to Congress to set a responsible path forward for our country, but the tax reform bill is bad business. Its about a partisan political win, but the detrimental impacts of it will be felt across North Dakota and the country at a time we should be rallying around ideas to boost our economy. If Republican leaders want to make lasting, positive changes to our tax code that actually benefit middle income Americans, they should take a page from our bipartisan effort to provide regulatory relief so families, farmers, and small businesses can get ahead. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |