CFPB Under Fire: Trump Budget Would Slash Funding For Consumer Protection Bureau : NPR
Mick Mulvaney
As a congressman   Mick Mulvaney  sponsored legislation to abolish the CFPB  and he still doesn't speak very highly of the agency he's leading. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation   Mulvaney  said the CFPB "has no accountability to Congress. It is perhaps the most unaccountable bureau or agency there is."
 He  said  he  wants to run the agency "with a good deal of humility and prudence." But critics say  Mulvaney  is not being humble   he 's being reckless.
Under  Mulvaney   the bureau has put on hold new regulations for high-interest payday lenders. And it's dropped an investigation into a a payday lender that contributed to Mulvaney's campaign when he was in Congress.  Mulvaney  has said  he  doesn't think those contributions create a conflict of interest.
And now  Mulvaney  has proposed steep budget cuts.  He  says  he 's not "gutting" the agency  but Democrats vow they won't take the move sitting down.
"We will fight any effort to defund the CFPB " says Sen. Chris Van Hollen  D-Md. Van Hollen pressed  Mulvaney  in a hearing this week about the agency head's decision to drop a lawsuit against an online lender called Golden Valley. The lawsuit said the lender is charging illegal and predatory interest rates.
Van Hollen says an NPR report this week prompted him to start looking into the lender. That report said  Mulvaney  dropped the lawsuit even though the entire professional career staff at the bureau wanted to press ahead with the case.
Van Hollen says he wants a full accounting from  Mulvaney  about why he did that. "It's pretty clear right now  if left to their own devices  Mulvany and the Trump administration will essentially turn the keys to the agency over to the very people who are cheating consumers " Van Hollen says.
The CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve  not Congress. But if  Mulvaney  tries to slash  its  budget  Mike Calhoun of the Center for Responsible Lending says Congress could act to block the move.
As  [TGT] sponsored legislation to abolish the CFPB  and  [TGT]  still doesn't speak very highly of the agency  [TGT] 's leading. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation   Mulvaney  said the CFPB "has no accountability to Congress. It is perhaps the most unaccountable bureau or agency there is."
 He  said  he  wants to run the agency "with a good deal of humility and prudence." But critics say  Mulvaney  is not being humble   he 's being reckless.
Under  Mulvaney   the bureau has put on hold new regulations for high-interest payday lenders. And it's dropped an investigation into a a payday lender that contributed to Mulvaney's campaign when he was in Congress.  Mulvaney  has said  he  doesn't think those contributions create a conflict of interest.
And now  Mulvaney  has proposed steep budget cuts.  He  says  he 's not "gutting" the agency  but Democrats vow they won't take the move sitting down.
"We will fight any effort to defund the CFPB " says Sen. Chris Van Hollen  D-Md. Van Hollen pressed  Mulvaney  in a hearing this week about the agency head's decision to drop a lawsuit against an online lender called Golden Valley. The lawsuit said the lender is charging illegal and predatory interest rates.
Van Hollen says an NPR report this week prompted him to start looking into the lender. That report said  Mulvaney  dropped the lawsuit even though the entire professional career staff at the bureau wanted to press ahead with the case.
Van Hollen says he wants a full accounting from  Mulvaney  about why he did that. "It's pretty clear right now  if left to their own devices  Mulvany and the Trump administration will essentially turn the keys to the agency over to the very people who are cheating consumers " Van Hollen says.
The CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve  not Congress. But if  Mulvaney  tries to slash  its  budget  Mike Calhoun of the Center for Responsible Lending says Congress could act to block the move.