(NECN: Tom Langford, Newton, Mass.) - Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is pushing back against criticism from his own party concerning his vote in favor of a financial reform bill.
Four Republicans broke rank in Thursday's Senate vote -- Brown, Sen. Charles Grassley (Iowa), Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), Sen. Susan Collins (Maine). The bill must now be reconciled with the house version approved in December.
Voting against Republican leadership and in support of one of the Democrats' signature pieces of legislation, Sen. Brown did exactly what he promised -- look at each piece of legislation without bias and then decide his vote. He said the law will benefit the country by preventing the financial abuses that led to the economic meltdown.
"It's going to make it so banks can't act like casinos any more. And when people put money into banks, they're going to know that its safe an secure," Sen. Brown told NECN on Sunday. "And its going to provide for a lot more transparency."
The bill narrowly passed on Thursday, thanks in part to last-minute support from the Massachusetts senator. It was a move that earned him praise from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
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"And for Scott Brown, the new senator from Massachusetts, he stepped forward early on and we had a hiccup down the road a little bit after that, but it was a mistake that both of us made," Sen. Reid said. "I so appreciate what he did."
But many of Sen. Brown's Republican colleagues have grave concerns about the reform bill. New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg (R) said:
"The bill places layers upon layer of unnecessary new regulations on financial institutions that will undoubtedly have a chilling effect on the ability of American families and businesses to access credit."
Sen. Brown shrugs off critics who contend he should have voted against it, saying he does not represent Democrats or Republicans -- he represents everybody.
"I think a lot of the criticism is from folks that haven't read the bill," he said Sunday. "I spent four weeks on this bill. My entire staff of 25-plus people dropped everything and focused specifically on this bill to make sure that we could do everything and anything to make it better."
He admitted that the bill is not perfect, but hopes a few changes will be made before it is signed into law.
