The House is poised to approve a bill gutting the Dodd-Frank banking law

Paul Ryan, financial regulation slayer
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

On Thursday, the House will vote on the Financial Choice Act, a Republican bill that would repeal much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and it is expected to pass along party lines, with no Democratic support. The bill would lift regulations put in place to prevent another banking collapse, like those in the 2008 financial crisis, because Republicans argue they have hampered lending and economic growth.

The Financial Choice Act would give the president the ability to fire the head of the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a consumer watchdog agency set up under Dodd-Frank, and give Congress control over its budget, allowing lawmakers to zero-out its funding. The president would also gain the power to fire the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The bill frees some banks from risk-aversion rules, and changes how Dodd-Frank handles banks' living wills, or plans to unwind systemically important financial institutions. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday called the legislation "the crown jewel" of the House GOP's deregulation push. It is not expected to pass the Senate without major changes.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.