WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 100 consumer advocates representing organizations from 30 states and the District of Columbia will meet with Members of Congress and congressional staff Tuesday June 2nd, as part of Consumer Advocacy Day, a coordinated effort to elevate the voices of consumers and advance policies that promote fairness, transparency, and accountability in the financial marketplace.

Advocates will urge lawmakers to address the growing threat of high-cost lending debt traps, oppose efforts to weaken consumer protections for earned wage access payday loan apps, and defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has secured more than $21 billion in relief for consumers since its creation. Throughout the day, participants will share stories from their communities and provide policymakers with firsthand perspectives on how financial policies impact working families, military households, seniors, and consumers across the country.

During meetings with congressional offices, advocates will urge lawmakers to support policies that curb predatory lending and strengthen consumer protections. Specifically, advocates will encourage Senators to support the Empowering States’ Rights to Protect Consumers Act (S. 3721) and the Predatory Lending Elimination Act (S. 3793), while opposing efforts to weaken state interest-rate caps (S. 3889/H.R. 7866) and exempt earned wage access payday loan apps from key consumer protection requirements. Advocates will also call on Congress to protect and restore funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and preserve its ability to investigate complaints, combat fraud, and hold financial institutions accountable.

Consumer Advocacy Day demonstrates the strength and diversity of the consumer movement, bringing together advocates from rural communities, small towns, and major cities to speak with one voice on behalf of the millions of Americans who rely on strong consumer protections. By engaging directly with congressional offices, advocates aim to ensure that consumer interests remain at the center of policy discussions affecting household finances and economic opportunity.

“Consumers have come from all over the country to urge lawmakers to fully fund the CFPB and to vote against dismantling the agency’s critical complaint system,” said Ruth Susswein, Consumer Action’s director of consumer protection. “Consumers rely on the CFPB’s complaint process as often the only place they can turn to address financial disputes that companies refuse to resolve. “ 

“States have served as the front line defense against high interest rates and harmful lending practices that continue to make life more difficult and more expensive for tens of millions of people across the country,” said Tom Feltner, associate director of consumer policy at Americans for Financial Reform. “Lawmakers in Washington need to hear firsthand how strong state protections can translate into a national movement for safer, fairer lending and an economy that works for everyone.”

“This Administration has fueled the affordability crisis by gutting the CFPB and rolling back key anti-discrimination rules and critical consumer protections that limited bank overdraft fees, credit card late fees, and medical debt on credit reports,” said Alys Cohen, director of federal housing advocacy and acting co-director of federal advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center. “People need relief. We’re on Capitol Hill this week to urge Congress to restore funding to the nation’s top consumer watchdog, cap interest rates on loans, and uphold the ability of states to protect residents from predatory, debt-trap lending.” 

“Current federal policies are weakening consumer protections and making everyday life more expensive for working people,” said Christine Hines, senior policy director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates. “We’re pleased to join consumer advocates in Washington, DC to support the CFPB’s mission, tackle predatory lending, and ensure that states can play their part to protect their residents.”  

“Families across America are working harder than ever just to keep up with the rising cost of living,” said Adam Rust, director of financial services at the Consumer Federation of America. “During this affordability crisis, it is crucial that consumer advocates come to Washington to ensure lawmakers hear firsthand how high-cost lending, payday loan apps, scams, and diminished consumer protections are impacting real people and their communities.”