Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, is leading the charge against the threat of financial censorship in a new bill that has received praise from several leaders at pro-free speech organizations. 
On Tuesday, Little signed the Transparency in Financial Services Act, effectively prohibiting the discrimination of individuals’ viewpoints in financial services, a form of censorship that has occurred both in America and other countries. The legislation, based on a proposal by the Alliance Defending Freedom, makes Idaho the third state, after Tennessee and Florida, to protect its citizens from debanking.
In response to the new law, one pro-free speech bank executive highlighted the importance of this issue. “The big banks have demonstrated that they’ll discriminate when given the latitude. Legislation can be helpful, but enabling smaller banks to thrive, especially those committed to financial liberty in America, will provide the most enduring protections,” Eric Ohlhausen, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Old Glory Bank, told MRC Free Speech America.
The new Idaho law prohibits financial institutions that have more than $100 billion worth of assets from canceling accounts because of “constitutionally protected political or religious views, speech, or affiliations,” ADF explained. One example of this type of financial censorship occurred in Idaho last year when U.S. Bank, suddenly and without explanation, canceled the Constitution Party of Idaho’s longtime account, per ADF.
The Constitution Party of Idaho isn’t the only victim of such censorship. In March, the Trump Organization sued Capitol One, alleging the cancellation of hundreds of accounts linked to the Trump family. In 2023, Christian charity Indigenous Advance Ministries accused Bank of America of unjustly canceling their accounts. In America’s neighbor Canada, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demanded that banks shut down accounts linked to the anti-lockdown Trucker Convoy protests in 2022. GoFundMe, a Big Tech fundraising platform, also froze the truckers’ accounts.
After Little signed the bill, ADF Senior Counsel Matt Sharp said, “No one should be denied access to basic financial services because of their political or religious beliefs.” He called the bill “an important step forward to protect the fundamental freedoms of Idahoans of every political and religious stripe” and “a win for consumer protections.”
ADF Senior Counsel and Senior VP of Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco agreed. “Big Banks, which control services vital to our economy, are just as threatening to freedom as Big Brother. Everyone needs access to basic financial services no matter their political or religious beliefs,” he declared.
Free speech is under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech and government be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for alternative viewpoints. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
