Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016
Floor Speech
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I thank my friend, Mr. Luetkemeyer, and I thank the chairman. What we are up here talking about is a program where the government is trying to put legal businesses out of business--that is what Operation Choke Point is--legal businesses that some people don't like especially within the administration, pawnshops, payday lenders, ammunition manufacturers, gun shops, but legal businesses.
With all due respect to my friend from Pennsylvania, we have had hearings on this. In fact, the Department of Justice has claimed they have stopped this program. They have agreed with us that they shouldn't be doing this. Now, we don't believe they are actually doing that. We have indications from what is happening back in our districts that even though the Department of Justice says they have stopped Operation Choke Point, that it is still going on.
So here is my question, Mr. Chairman: Who supports this program? The Department of Justice says it is wrong. The Department of Justice says it is not even doing it. So who would get up here on this floor and say: ``I think Operation Choke Point is a great idea. I think we should go ahead and continue to use means within the Department of Justice to drive legal businesses out of business''? I'm not really sure how you defend that position.
This is real for me in my district, Mr. Chairman. I have a woman-owned business in my home county who cannot get money to expand her pawnshop. I have businesses elsewhere in South Carolina that have a little tiny piece of their large financial services business in payday lending. They have been cut off from their financial relationships of 25 years. They can't get banking services. That is why the DOJ said they were going to stop. We just don't happen to believe them.
Mr. Chairman, we should support this amendment because it is the appropriate thing to do, to my good friend from Pennsylvania, because that is how we work. We defund programs that we don't like. And if the DOJ says they are not doing it anyway, what is the harm in voting for the amendment?
So I would ask again, who could possibly be against the amendment? Who could possibly be for Operation Choke Point?
I hope we have overwhelming and broad support for Mr. Luetkemeyer's amendment later on this evening.
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