Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday“, is a time of excess, revelry, and celebration. These GOP Senators are backing special interests all year long, but today AB21 wanted to make sure they got the proper roll out on their Krewe of Fat Cats. The Senate GOP “throws” include votes to fill the pockets of Wall Street, chaos in financial markets, and knocking down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
While the middle-class suffers, expect a full on second line from these Senate GOPers as they celebrate with Wall Street campaign cash and the Koch brothers: Kelly Ayotte, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Joe Heck, Mark Kirk, Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, and John Boozman.
- New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte has received nearly $1 million from the securities and investment industry. Ayotte has also received more than $1 million in support from the Koch group Americans for Prosperity. In 2015, Ayotte voted against an amendment that would have helped protect consumers from “predatory lendy, misleading or abusive behavior or other unscrupulous practices in the financial market.”
- Ohio Senator Rob Portman has received more than $2.3 million from Wall Street interests, including more than $630,000 from commercial banks. The Kochs have also spent $1.4 million to prop up Portman’s 2016 campaign.
- Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey received more than $2 million from securities and investments interests, and worked as an investment banker from 1986 to 1990. Toomey received $1.5 million from the Koch “veterans” front group, Concerned Veterans for America in July. According to Mother Jones, “Toomey helped pioneer the use of some of the same financial products that have caused fiscal chaos for American towns, cities, and states.”
- Nevada senate candidate Joe Heck voted at least five times to fully or partially repeal Dodd-Frank regulations. Heck has received nearly $1 million from finance, insurance and real estate interests.
- Illinois Senator Mark Kirk sponsored a bill that weakened Dodd-Frank regulation relating to the Volcker rule.
- North Carolina Senator Richard Burr received roughly $130,000 from Koch Industries between 2003 to 2014 and has already received $6,000 from the Kochs during the 2016 cycle.
- Missouri Senator Roy Blunt has voted multiple times to loosen or amend Dodd-Frank restrictions since taking office.
- Arkansas Senator John Boozman has voted four times to repeal parts of the Dodd-Frank Act.
This Mardi Gras, we’ll be yelling “Throw me something else, GOPers!”
Published: Feb 9, 2016