The popular conservative duo in the Senate, Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), have introduced another piece of legislation to make government accountable for its overreach into Americans' freedoms. The Financial Institution Customer Protection Act would prevent federal banking agencies from forcing banks to terminate businesses' customer accounts unless those agencies have legitimate reasons, the text explains.
The Obama administration has used the term "reputational risk” to justify stripping firearms sellers of customers. That kind of government abuse, driven by a political agenda, has no place in America, the senators insist.
Operation Choke Point convinced Cruz and Lee to spearhead this Senate effort. Choke Point, a 2013 DOJ initiative, was intended to "punish" small businesses that don't align with the White House's ideology, Cruz argues.
“Under President Obama’s reign, the DOJ has abandoned its longstanding tradition of staying out of politics and has instead become a partisan arm of the White House,” Sen. Cruz said. “The Obama administration initiated Operation Choke Point to punish law-abiding small businesses that don’t align with the President’s political leanings. The DOJ should not be abusing its power by trying to bankrupt American citizens for exercising their constitutional rights. I am proud to stand with Sen. Lee and Rep. Luetkemeyer to stop this insidious manipulation by the administration and look forward to sending this legislation to the President’s desk.”
Lee echoes his co-sponsor's sentiments, noting that the Second Amendment's security depends on government transparency.
“Our right to bear arms – a right granted by God and protected by the Constitution – is fundamental to the protection of all our other rights,” Sen. Lee said. “An executive branch bent on taking away this right, through any administrative means necessary, is a danger to all Americans.
The senators are hopeful to bring their legislation to the floor, considering its predecessor, introduced by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), passed the House in February in bipartisan fashion.
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