Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has already said he doesn’t support overturning the regulation. And it’s not clear whether Arizona’s John McCain will be healthy enough to cast a vote as he undergoes treatment for brain cancer. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Maine’s Susan Collins are two Republicans who’ve expressed indecision.
That leaves Kennedy, the only Republican on the Senate Banking Committee who hasn’t signed on to the legislation that would kill the CFPB rule or confirmed which way he’s going to vote.
“I haven’t spent any time on it yet, I haven’t really been briefed yet,” Kennedy said in a July 24 interview. A spokeswoman said Tuesday that Kennedy was still mulling it over.
Duck Hunter
A duck-hunting enthusiast and a founder of the North Cross United Methodist Church near New Orleans, Kennedy previously ran for the U.S. Senate twice -- once as a Democrat. He switched to the GOP a decade ago. The former law professor served five terms as state treasurer.
Trump campaigned for Kennedy, helping him win a runoff election last year. Kennedy pitched himself to voters as a straight-talker with small-government principles.
“I believe in God, I believe in protecting the unborn, I believe in more freedom, not more free stuff,” Kennedy said in a campaign ad. “I believe that love is the answer, but you ought to own a handgun just in case.”
Since arriving in Washington, Kennedy has stood out for his curious lines of questioning. Once, during a hearing in which Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testified, Kennedy suggested parents should have as many options on where to send their children to school as they have when they buy mayonnaise at the grocery store. He was criticized by other lawmakers for comparing a serious issue to a condiment.
Lining Pockets
Kennedy’s unpredictability is an issue just as the lobbying push on bank arbitration is ramping up.