Today: Congress to Vote on Bill to Block Relief from Overpriced Bank Fees

Passage would send the bill to the president’s desk to be signed into law WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives will vote today on S.J.Res.18, legislation that would overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule designed to reduce the typical price of an overdraft fee at very large banks and credit unions from around $35 to an amount...

Today: Maryland’s State Senate to Vote on Bill that Legalizes Predatory Payday Loans Made Through a Phone

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland State Senate is scheduled to vote this afternoon on HB 1294, legislation that would exempt payday loans made through cell phone apps from the state’s usury law, which limits annual interest rates to 33% APR. "Maryland policymakers should reject this legislation, which would legalize cellphone app payday loans that regularly trap people in debt,” said...

Today: Senate Vote on Bill to Prevent Cheaper Overdraft Fees at Megabanks

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate is expected to begin voting today on S.J.Res.18, legislation that would prevent a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule from lowering the typical price of an overdraft fee at very large banks and credit unions from around $35 to $5. If enacted, the legislation would eliminate this CFPB rule and forbid issuance of the...

Trump’s Executive Order Dismantling Education Department Will Widen Inequality, Harm Students

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order today aiming to dismantle or significantly restructure the U.S. Department of Education. The department, established by Congress nearly 50 years ago, plays a critical role in enforcing civil rights protections, distributing federal education funding and administering financial aid programs that make higher education accessible for millions of students...

Massive Education Department Layoffs Undermine Agency’s Mission

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday evening that it will reduce nearly half of its staff. In response, Nadine Chabrier, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), issued the following statement: While Secretary McMahon frames this as a step toward restoring greatness in our education system, slashing staff at this scale is reckless and threatens...

Executive Order Raises Constitutional Concerns, Threatens Public Service Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump signed an executive order last Friday directing the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education to exclude borrowers employed at nonprofit organizations from Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) if they engaged in activities deemed improper or illegal by the administration. Established by Congress in 2007, PSLF was designed to provide student loan relief to...

New Poll Shows Strong, Bipartisan Support for Consumer Bureau and Rules for Overdraft Fees, Medical Debt, Small Business Loans

Legislation to eliminate these consumer protections moving through Congress as Trump Administration has shut down nearly all Consumer Bureau operations WASHINGTON, DC – With the U.S. House Financial Services Committee voting today to prevent a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule from lowering the price of overdraft fees at megabanks and with the Senate Banking Committee scheduled to vote tomorrow...

Senate Set to Confirm Linda McMahon as Education Secretary 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Linda McMahon as education secretary today, following last week’s 51-47 procedural vote along party lines that advanced her nomination to a final confirmation vote. Nadine Chabrier, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), issued the following statement: Linda McMahon’s confirmation raises pressing concerns about the future of...

Senate Committee Advances Linda McMahon’s Nomination for Education Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee today voted 12-11 to advance Linda McMahon’s nomination to serve as President Donald Trump’s secretary of education. The vote moves her nomination to the full Senate for consideration. Nadine Chabrier, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), made the following statement: Dismantling the department would...

Legislation to Keep Megabanks’ Overdraft Fees High Introduced

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, chairs of the House and Senate finance committees introduced legislation that could rescind a rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that required the nation’s largest banks and credit unions to lower the typical overdraft fee charge from around $35 to closer to the service’s actual cost to the institution – an estimated $5. “This...