I want to thank Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy for standing firm and allowing the GENIUS Act to move forward without the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) attached. This was the right call—and a win for consumers, small banks, and anyone who values a healthy, competitive payments system.

The Durbin-Marshall amendment, which aimed to attach the CCCA to the GENIUS Act, would have forced a controversial swipe-fee overhaul into an unrelated stablecoin and banking modernization bill. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and the Senate advanced the GENIUS Act as a clean package. That’s how good legislation should work: focused and transparent, not crammed with last-minute amendments that haven’t been fully debated.

While the CCCA is pitched as pro-business, the reality is it would hurt consumers by undercutting credit card rewards programs and shifting costs to cardholders. It would also make it harder for smaller banks and credit unions to compete, as they rely on interchange fees to offer fraud protection and other services. The risks far outweigh the potential benefits.

Senators Kennedy and Cassidy deserve credit for not bowing to pressure and for refusing to hijack a bipartisan effort with divisive policy. Their leadership helped preserve a sound legislative process and protect Louisiana consumers from the unintended consequences of rushed financial regulation.

Let’s hope future debates on the CCCA are held in the open, on their own merits—not tucked into unrelated bills.

Don Willard