Democrats’ acquisition of the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives sets up Rep. Maxine Waters D-Calif., an outspoken critic of President Trump, to lead the House Financial Services Committee.
Waters has pledged to support impeachment of Trump, and as chair of the committee, will be able to subpoena officials at financial regulatory agencies for information and testimony. She was a target of bombs sent to several critics of the president, as well as media outlet CNN, last month.
Congressional Democrats have taken particular issue with Trump’s actions with regard to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Administration budget chief Mick Mulvaney, himself a former member of the House Financial Services Committee, has served as acting director of the bureau since former Director Richard Cordray left to run for Ohio governor last year. Mulvaney’s tenure sparked a legal battle, in which the administration prevailed, and sustained criticism from Democrats that Republicans have defanged the agency.
Waters, who represents a district based primarily in Los Angeles, has also made affordable housing a major priority.
