The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #3
The Elimination of the Fair Access Rule
Type of Censorship: Policy or rulemaking
Agencies Involved:
- Department of the Treasury
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Summary:
The Biden administration acted swiftly to destroy the “Fair Access Rule,” one of the key free speech protections instituted by his predecessor (and successor).
Meticulously following the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), President Donald Trump’s Comptroller of the Currency, Brian Brooks, instituted the ‘Fair Access Rule.’ This barred the largest Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured banks from discriminating on the basis of political viewpoint.
Within eight days of Biden’s inauguration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) blocked the rule’s enforcement and then began revoking the regulation entirely. As Biden’s OCC sabotaged the rule, large banks accelerated their blacklisting of former government officials, political activists and even entire industries with views contrary to Biden’s.
Key Individuals:
- Kenneth Blanco, FinCEN Director
- Michael Mosier, Acting FinCEN Director
