Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act 
(CCCA) under S. 3623 following a recent Truth Social post by President Trump in which he endorsed the proposal. The CCCA has found little support in Congress in recent years but is finding new hope with the President’s recent comments. The CCCA would require large credit card issuers, those over $100 billion in assets, to offer at least two unaffiliated card networks with at least one that is not Visa or Mastercard. It would allow merchants to choose the network to route credit card transactions which would likely be the cheapest network with no consideration of whether the network has the payment security standards expected by consumers.
“The CCCA might sound good in theory but in practice this bill will only benefit the big box stores by shifting their cost share of the payments system to consumers and financial institutions,” said Brandon Luetkenhaus, President/CEO of the Nebraska Credit Union League (League). “Passing the CCCA will not save consumers a penny when they shop but will instead increase their cost of credit, increase fraud, and make credit less affordable and accessible”, said Luetkenhaus.
America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Scott Simpson said of the bill, “The real risk is that it would weaken the payments system people rely on every day. Credit unions urge lawmakers to reject this approach and focus on policies that support a strong payments system while protecting consumers and financial choice.”
The League has argued that the CCCA would lead to the shuttering of credit card programs that members rely upon for lower cost credit. As not-for-profit cooperatives, credit unions traditionally charge lower interest rates on their card programs and the CCCA would leave consumers with fewer credit options and cards with higher interest rates. The League continues to urge Nebraska’s Congressional Delegation to continue supporting the well-functioning electronic payments system by opposing the CCCA.
Take action by contacting our lawmakers today to urge their opposition to the CCCA.
