They haven’t been deputized, in fact the opposite.
When they block a payment it’s typically due to some interest group threatening bad PR hit pieces on them.
If you’re running a duopoly money printer, the worst thing that can happen is to have people realizing it and talking about it.
Hence why you’ll never hear an ad from Mastercard or Visa touting the dominance of their payment networks or even trying to sell you their products. It’s always brand-washing PR fluff about saving whales or Olympic ice skaters.
