Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. spoke on the Senate Floor asking for unanimous consent for a vote to add the Credit Card Competition Act to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization.
For two years Senate Leadership has blocked this bipartisan bill from receiving a vote. Senator Marshall assured his colleagues he will not back down on receiving a vote. Currently, small businesses across the country are paying the highest swipe fees in the world. The Wall Street megabanks and Visa-Mastercard lobbyists have fiercely fought against this vote that would inject competition in the payment processing industry and give much needed relief to our Kansas Merchants. Senator Marshall reaffirmed his commitment to Mainstreet over Wall Street on the Senate Floor.
You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.
Highlights from Senator Marshall’s remarks include:
“Kansans elected me to fight for them in Washington, to give them a voice at the highest levels of government. And I humbly took this job and that responsibility seriously. For that reason, I stand here today to say that I will not fall in line and cower to the ‘standard operating procedures’ up here that puts United States Senators in the backseat and blocks us from bringing our priorities of the people to the floor. Kansans want their voices to be heard, and not sidelined by DC lobbyists and special interest groups who are blocking and tackling our priorities behind the scenes.”
“Each Senator deserves the opportunity to bring their amendments to the floor and make their case. Back home I’ve crisscrossed Kansas, meeting with small businesses and owners across the state. And at every meeting, they look me in the eyes and they say they need some type of relief.”
“So we took those concerns to Washington, and we got to work. But I never could have imagined the uphill battle we’d face up here to do the right thing for doing what’s best for hardworking Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck.”
“As a physician, once we diagnose a problem, we think the treatment should be quick. Our patients demand that quick turnaround once we figure out what’s wrong, “Here’s the solution, let’s do it.” I don’t want our patients to wait any longer than they have to. But in Washington, I’ve learned and realize that too often we see the problem but we sit on the solutions if they’re not popular with the people who cut the biggest checks up here.”
“For too long, the Visa MasterCard duopoly has used money and influence in Washington to turn politicians’ eyes away from predatory swipe fees. Right now the Visa-MasterCard duopoly and foreign mega banks are robbing our American small businesses at the highest rate in the world.”
“Often credit card swipe fees are one of business’s highest costs, often topping utilities, rent, or even the employees health care costs. Mom and pop shops across Kansas, hotels across Kansas, franchise owners across Kansas, consumers, are all asking for relief to be able to sell their goods at a lower price and hire more employees, which I know this chamber all agrees with is a good thing. If only they could get Wall Street out of the way of Main Street’s success.”
“I know this won’t be popular for beltway insiders and Wall Street lobbyists, but it’s good for small businesses, it’s good for hardworking Americans.”
“I’ve made my decision – I’m sticking with Main Street every single time. I’m sticking with hardworking Americans who take their lunch pail to work. Madam President, I’ll close today with a reminder to this chamber. I will not stop fighting until we get this vote.”