DES MOINES—Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today co-led a 20-state coalition in a letter to the Biden-Harris administration, demanding it stop its fearmongering attempt to block state laws that protect Americans from discriminatory debanking.

Debanking discriminates against Americans for their religious and political beliefs and denies them access to basic resources such as bank accounts or debit cards. Biden and Harris are now trying to stop states from passing laws to protect Americans and stop debanking.

In April, Attorney General Bird also pushed back against discriminatory debanking by calling on Bank of America to stop denying financial services to those it disagrees with, including religious organizations, gun manufacturers, and fossil fuel producers. And in December, Iowa led a letter to two major Wall Street companies for prioritizing woke politics over Americans’ retirement security.

“The Biden-Harris administration is scheming to block state laws that ban banks from playing woke politics and discriminating against those they disagree with,” said Attorney General Bird. “Americans need access to basic resources like bank accounts and debit cards to pay their bills and provide for their families. No one should be hung out to dry because they are on the wrong side of a bank’s woke politics.”

The States argue that the Biden-Harris Department of the Treasury is attempting to preempt state law and scheming to allow banks to continue denying Americans financial services based on their religious and political beliefs.

Iowa co-led the letter with Florida. They were joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Read the full letter here.

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For More Information:

Alyssa Brouillet | Communications Director

515-823-9112

alyssa.brouillet@ag.iowa.gov