Republicans and Democrats on Monday started their first day back from the long Thanksgiving break in open warfare over President Trump’s decision to make Mick Mulvaney the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will likely make it even harder for Congress to complete the long list of partisan issues it has to deal with this month, such as tax reform and funding the government.
“The man they want running the agency called it a sick, sad joke,” an angry Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, said Monday, referring to Mulvaney’s longtime opposition to the CFPB.
Leandra English was appointed deputy director of the consumer watchdog group at the last minute, just before outgoing CFPB Director Richard Cordray stepped down. She and other Democrats believe that makes her the new acting director of the agency.
But Trump appointed Mick Mulvaney to lead the agency, which prompted English to file a lawsuit to keep her position. It also prompted Democrats to do all they could to show their support for English.
On Monday, Senate Democrats treated English as the head of the CFPB, a consumer watchdog group that was created under the Obama-era banking regulation bill that Democrats authored in 2010. She was invited to the Capitol office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who summoned the media to record the event — a move aimed at showing they believed she was in charge.
“By attempting to install Mr. Mulvaney as director, the Trump administration is ignoring the established, proper, legal order of succession that we purposefully put in place, in order to put a fox in charge of the henhouse,” Schumer said Monday.
Democrats reinforced their support for English on Monday by filing an amicus brief on her behalf.
“The sham installation of Mick Mulvaney is simply the latest cynical attempt by this administration to dismantle the Consumer Bureau, which has been a vital lifeline for millions of hard-working Americans,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
But Mulvaney took over the office first thing Monday morning, to the disappointment of Democrats, and Republicans believe Mulvaney is the rightful head of the CFBP.
Mulvaney currently serves as Trump’s budget director and, along with many conservative Republicans, is a long-established foe of the CFPB. Mulvaney has promised to reform the agency.
Senate Republican leaders, meanwhile, signaled on Monday they fully back his appointment and consider him as the new head of the bureau.
Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn, R-Texas, called Cordray a “modern day financial emperor” who should not have acted to appoint English to take his place.
“They are taking exception to the fact that this president has the authority under the law to appoint his successor instead of insisting that somebody chosen by Mr. Cordray,” Cornyn said.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a member of the Senate Banking Committee, called the lawsuit by English, “the latest lawless act,” by the bureau and said “she doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on,” and called on President Trump to “fire her immediately.”
Mulvaney showed up at the CFPB Monday and assumed the top leadership position, sending separate messages to the 1,600 employees who work for the bureau.
Mulvaney brought a large bag of Dunkin’ Donuts and told employees to ignore any orders from English, who was also in the building, according to some media reports.
“I read some reports that said there were two people who showed up to work today claiming to be director,” Mulvaney told reporters. “I can assure you, there was one person because she didn’t show up.”
The fight over the CFPB started Republicans and Democrats off on the wrong foot, as they are rushing to find consensus on a bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal 2018. Democrats say they will insist on a provision to legalize young people who arrived here illegally as children, but Republicans say they won’t agree to that without border security additions Democrats oppose.
Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach an accord on a critical bill to fund health insurance for low-income children.
Senate Republicans this week are hoping to pass a bill to reform the tax code, which every Democrat is planning to oppose.
