Mail piece sent to Minnesota’s military families
After Congressman Kline supported predatory lenders at the expense of US soldiers, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it is launching a paid advertising campaign to hold him accountable for this unseemly action.
Over this week’s congressional recess, Kline will be met with mailers and digital ads targeted to reach Minnesota’s military families, the same constituency that he just voted against back in Washington.
Recently, a provision was inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act that would delay protections for U.S. troops from predatory lending schemes that have unfairly targeted service members. Shortly before leaving town for recess, committee members voted on an amendment to remove the delay from the bill and allow these crucial Department of Defense protections to proceed. The provision was dropped with bipartisan support, yet Kline still voted to keep it, prioritizing payday lenders and special interests over service members and their families.
This comes one week after Kline voted against preventing companies convicted of predatory lending against veterans and service members from serving on the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Advisory Board.
“By voting to delay protecting our troops from predatory lenders, Congressman Kline has made it clear that he has the backs of payday lenders and special interests, rather than service members and their families,” said Matt Thornton of the DCCC. “Perhaps Kline thought he could get away with voting against our troops during a late-night committee meeting, but we will be using this recess to call out his shamefully wrong priorities.”
Background:
City Pages: “John Kline Votes Against Protecting Soldiers From Predatory Lenders.” [City Pages, 5/04/15]
Kline Voted Against Removing Language Postponing Protections For Service Members From Predatory Lenders. “House Democrats successfully knocked down a GOP plan early Thursday morning that would have blocked predatory lending protections for American soldiers. Republicans had slipped the deregulation measure into the National Defense Authorization Act — a major bill that sets the military’s funding levels. The bill would have imposed a one-year delay on new Department of Defense rules designed to shield military families from abusive terms on payday loans and other forms of expensive short-term credit.” Kline was one of 30 Republicans to oppose the amendment. [Huffington Post, 4/30/15]
Kline Voted Against Motion To Prevent Employees Of Companies Convicted of Predatory Lending On Military Bases From Serving On CFPB Advisory Board. Kline voted against a motion that would prevent anyone employed by a company convicted of predatory lending on military bases, or fraud against veterans or service members from serving on a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advisory board. The motion failed 184-234. [HR 1195, Vote #166, 4/22/15]