Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently rolled out a plan with 2020 presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) to cap credit card interest rates at 15% and put an end to federal predatory payday lending practices.
Despite the bill having large Republican support, it's unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will allow the bill to proceed to the floor.
Now, Ocasio-Cortez is calling out the hypocrisy of religious right-wingers like McConnell by citing the bible.
Ocasio-Cortez is right. Interest is mentioned in Exodus 22:25:
"If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest."
And again in Leviticus—a book also containing a famous verse used by the religious right to demonize queer people:
"Take thou no interest of him or increase; but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee."
With that, Ocasio-Cortez called on McConnell to "use his religious principles for good."
People cheered the Congresswoman's approach.
Ocasio-Cortez's fight is generating lots of interest—hopefully credit card companies won't be permitted to do the same.