Cantwell sees bipartisan support for bank breakup bill

Bipartisan support may grow behind an effort to reinstate the Glass-Steagall act, a sponsor of that effort said Wednesday.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who joined with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to sponsor a bill re-introducing the Depression-era law separating commercial and investment banking, said she's heard quite a bit of chatter about their effort.

"I think it's going to be a bipartisan issue," she said during an interview on MSNBC. "I think it's going to be an American issue."

An effort by a group of House lawmakers to go after "too big to fail" financial institutions was beaten back last week, though Hoyer said Tuesday that reviving Glass-Steagall is "certainly under discussion" in the House, according to Bloomberg News.

"I've heard from many of my Democratic colleagues in the last 24 hours. Sen. Feingold (D-Wisc.), others, who are joining us on this legislation," she said during an appearance on MSNBC. "I saw where [House Majority Leader] Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) came out in a comment saying we need to go back and look at this again."

Cantwell has struck a pose in recent months as a particularly outspoken liberal voice against support for large banks, and a perceived closeness between Obama administration officials and Wall Street. She said in November she's "not sure" why Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner still has a job.

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