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Showdown for Control of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Continues

HeadlineNov 28, 2017

The showdown at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continued on Monday, as two dueling leaders—one named by Trump and one named by the agency’s former head—both battled for control. The chaos began on Friday, when former Director Richard Cordray resigned and appointed his former chief of staff, Leandra English, to be his successor. But then President Trump appointed his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, to head the agency. While serving as a South Carolina congressmember, Mulvaney voted to eliminate the agency entirely. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

On Monday morning, Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, arrived at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with a bag of donuts and sent an email telling the agency’s staff to disregard all orders from English. He also said he was freezing all hiring and all rulemaking. Leandra English, meanwhile, also showed up to the office on Monday, welcomed the staff back from vacation, then met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Later in the day, English and Mulvaney appeared before a federal judge, arguing each was the true head of the agency. The judge, a recent Trump appointee, refused to rule immediately, meaning the showdown continues into today.

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