(C) Common Dreams
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Meet the Brave House Republicans Defending Junk Fees [1]
['Pablo Manríquez', 'Timothy Noah', 'Tori Otten', 'Alexander Stille', 'Matt Ford', 'Laura Jedeed', 'Alex Shephard']
Date: 2023-02-28
Luetkemeyer is not alone in raking in campaign cash from industries that Chopra and the CFPB seek to regulate on behalf of American consumers. North Carolina GOP Congressman Patrick McHenry, the new chair of the House Financial Services Committee, has also raked in millions during his career in the House of Representatives from the industries over which his committee has direct jurisdiction: nearly $2.7 million from the securities and investment sectors, nearly $2 million from the insurance industry, and more, according to OpenSecrets.org.
“Patrick McHenry and Blaine Luetkemeyer are point men for the MAGA majority plan to let big banks, Wall Street lobbyists, and predatory lenders write their own rules and evade accountability when they mistreat consumers,” said Liz Zelnick, a consumer advocate for Accountable.us. The organization has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the close ties the two GOP lawmakers have to industries making billions of dollars from junk fees.
Zelnick is one of many consumer watchdogs, including Chopra, who have been zeroing in on junk fees since last month’s State of the Union address. “Service charges inflate ticket prices, resort fees hike our costs to stay in hotels, and our phone bills are often laden with mystery charges,” wrote Chopra on CFPB’s website in January. “These junk fees make it harder for us to choose the best product or service, since the true cost is hidden.”
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[1] Url:
https://newrepublic.com/article/170818/house-republicans-defend-junk-fees
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