Changing the rules

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

House Republicans took a major step toward their long-promised goal of unwinding the stricter financial rules created after the 2008 crisis, pushing forward sweeping legislation that would undo much of President Barack Obama’s landmark banking law.

A House panel on Thursday approved Republican-written legislation that would gut much of the Dodd-Frank law enacted by Democrats and signed by Obama in the wake of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. The party-line vote in the Republican-led House Financial Services Committee was 34-26.

“I can’t do a good James Brown, but I feel good,” said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the normally reserved Republican chairman of the committee, referring to the singer often called the godfather of soul. Hensarling wrote much of the overhaul legislation.

Republicans argued that the law passed under Obama is slowing economic growth because of the cost of compliance and by curbing lending.

Democrats warned the GOP bill will create the same conditions that led to the financial crisis and pushed the economy to the brink of collapse.

Rep. Maxine Waters, the panel’s senior Democrat, called it “a deeply misguided measure that would bring harm to consumers, investors and our whole economy.”

“The bill is rotten to the core and incredibly divisive,” Waters said. “It’s also dead on arrival in the Senate and has no chance of becoming law.”

After attempts in recent years to overhaul the Dodd-Frank legislation, the Republicans were heartened this time by a sympathetic Republican president now in the White House. President Donald Trump has denounced Dodd-Frank and promised that his administration would “do a big number” on it. The new bill now goes to the full House for a vote, but supporters admit that the path will be much more difficult in the Senate, where Democratic support will be needed.

In a fast-moving session following two days of laborious debate, the panel flew through a series of votes on amendments as the majority Republicans easily beat back Democrats’ attempts to reshape and soften the legislation.

The bill would repeal about 40 provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Banks could qualify for much of the regulatory relief in the bill so long as they meet a strict basic requirement for building capital to cover unexpected big losses.

Republicans argued that big banks have done well under Dodd-Frank, but that community banks and credit unions are struggling to keep up with the regulatory burdens imposed by the law.

“This economy is poised to take off, but it’s not going to take off as long as Dodd-Frank in its current form remains on the book,” Hensarling said. “It’s important that we get tax reform done. It’s important we get health care reform done, but it’s also important we get the Financial Choice Act passed.”