Commemorative Series No. 3 · The Fine Print
OUTSPENTNo. 49/74
Gordon
Smith
U.S. Senate · R-OR
Taken from the card industry
$20,850
S.256 · the bankruptcy bill · 2005tap to flip ⤺
WHO THEY WORK FORNo. 49/74
Card-Issuing Banks$18,100
Credit Cards$2,750
Made it harder to clear credit-card debt in bankruptcy. Filings got ~38% costlier; insolvency didn't fall. · 109-1-44OUTSPENT
Card 49 of 74 · tap the card to see who they work for
Beyond the check
The check is only the part you can see.
They took
$20,850
The industry spent on the bill
$100M+
on an eight-year industry push to pass the bankruptcy bill
After office
We checked the public record. No industry job, board seat, or gift after this vote.
Sometimes the vote really is free.
The industry figure is lobbying spent on the bill, not a payment to this senator. Source: contemporary reporting (NBER; PBS Frontline). Everything here is documented public record; nothing alleges an illegal act.
Don't recognize a logo? Here's the key.
Card-Issuing Banks$18,100
Am. Bankers Assn.$11,500
Bank of America$4,000
Wells Fargo$2,600
Credit Cards$2,750
American Express$1,250
Discover$1,000
Visa$500