Last Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence’s top staffer joined the chorus of Republicans criticizing House Democrats for including marijuana banking provisions to the latest coronavirus relief bill. Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff discussed the COVID-19 legislation during an interview with Fox Business, and he described the Democratic proposal as a “liberal wish list”. He referred to language that was inserted from the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act to protect financial institutions that service state-legal cannabis businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. Many Republicans have been critical of the provision, arguing it is not germane to the issue at hand.
– Marijuana Moment, 08/10/2020 6:10:11 AM