Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) seeks to continue pushing Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) credit card bill this Congress after repeatedly threatening to derail the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
A Senate staffer told Breitbart News that Marshall’s staff has called Senate offices, urging them to support Durbin and Marshall’s efforts to include the Credit Card Competition Act in the NDAA. Marshall will object to all amendments, even defense-related ones, unless there is a vote on the Credit Card Competition Act amendment in the NDAA.
Marshall’s office did not respond to Breitbart News’s inquiry about this development.
One senator can block votes on the NDAA by objecting to a time agreement for the amendment votes.
However, now Marshall is appearing to back off his threats to hold the defense authorization hostage after — he says — receiving assurances that the Credit Card Competition Act would receive a vote this Congress. The Kansas senator said in a statement to Punchbowl News:
Today, we were given assurances that the Credit Card Competition Act will be given a vote this Congress. Swipe fees, the Visa-Mastercard duopoly and the Wall Street banks that back them are price-gouging American families at a rate seven times higher than the E.U. That will soon end.
Punchbowl also reported that a political advocacy group called the Conservative Accountability Foundation, is sending out mailers accusing Marshall of working with Democrats take away your credit card rewards points. The mailer has a pride flag and a rainbow version of Target’s logo and a Chinese flag.
“Marshall’s bill gives them billions,” the mailer reads.
Other Senate Republicans across the spectrum are introducing amendments that they believe would better America’s defense policy. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) proposed legislation that would allocate $10 million toward mobile mammography for women veterans. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed an amendment that would bar federal agencies from buying and operating Chinese-made drones.
Marshall’s latest push for the inclusion of the Credit Card Competition Act in the NDAA runs counter to the senator’s statement last week, saying he does not want to derail the NDAA.
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He said in last week’s statement:
I want to be clear — all I am asking for is a vote on our Credit Card Competition Act. I have no desire to derail the NDAA and have always supported our military. I want an open amendment process where we all have the opportunity to bring forth our priorities and make our case. This is a basic right for members of this Chamber, and I am not alone in my frustration with this process. [Emphasis added]
A Senate source told Breitbart News, “Marshall should stop fighting so hard for Target and American Express — which Marshall gave an exemption to in his bill — and start fighting for Kansans.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.