Republicans Stormed The Democrats’ Sit-In To Vote For Letting Wall Street Rip Off Americans

House Democrats are holding a marathon sit-in on Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning to demand votes on gun control legislation in the wake of the mass shooting in Orlando. But when Republicans showed up in the middle of the night, it was to take action on an entirely unrelated issue: a new rule issued by the Obama administration that requires financial advisers to act in their clients’ best interest.

Currently, the financial advisers who help retirees decide where to invest are able to legally steer people toward decisions that would enrich their own profits but not be the most financially prudent decision for their clients. The practice costs Americans an estimated $17 billion a year.

The new rule will require advisers to adhere to a fiduciary standard, always putting clients’ interests ahead of their own when making recommendations in exchange for compensation. They’ll also have to charge fees and other payment in ways that don’t create a conflict of interest.

After the Department of Labor released the final version of the rule in April, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate passed a resolution effectively blocking the rule, which President Obama vetoed.

So on Wednesday night shortly after 10 p.m., House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) and his Republican colleagues returned to the House floor to hold a vote on a resolution that would override Obama’s veto, stepping over the Democratic lawmakers on the floor who shouted “No bill no break” over the voting. The vote failed, given that Republicans fell more than 40 votes short of the two-thirds majority necessary.

Republicans later re-entered the chamber around 2:30 a.m. to hold a vote on Zika prevention funding before Ryan gaveled the end of the legislation session for the July 4th break.

Original Article
Source: thinkprogress.org/
Author: Bryce Covert