ICBA, groups oppose effort to slip credit card bill into military funding package

ICBA and other groups expressed united opposition to efforts by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) to attach their ICBA-opposed credit card routing bill to a must-pass appropriations bill.

State of Play: Marshall last week pledged to hold up consideration of government funding legislation focused on military construction and veterans affairs if Senate leaders don’t commit to holding a vote on the lawmakers’ Credit Card Competition Act (S. 1838/H.R. 3881). The bill would allow merchants to process credit card transactions based solely on which network offers the lowest cost for them.

Industry Opposition: In a national news release and a letter to congressional leaders, ICBA and other groups said the Marshall-Durbin bill to advance credit card routing restrictions is not germane to military or veteran spending and would merely serve as a government handout to big-box retailers. The lawmakers’ efforts echo their unsuccessful attempts to use the National Defense Authorization Act to advance their bill ahead of the August recess.

Grassroots Campaign: While ICBA continues to fight the effort on Capitol Hill, it is calling on community bankers to use its Be Heard grassroots action center to urge their senators to oppose the legislation and any attempt to tie it to unrelated, must-pass government funding bills.

Ongoing Advocacy: ICBA has strongly opposed the Durbin-Marshall efforts throughout the current Congress, including via joint letters with state community banking associations and industry groups, its partnership with the Electronic Payments Coalition, and recent ICBA polling conducted by Morning Consult that found two-thirds of voters say requiring a change to credit card transaction technology is risky.