Waters and 36 Current and Former Members of Congress File Amicus Brief in Support of Acting CFPB Director Leandra English

Statement

Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, and 36 current and former Democratic Members filed an amicus brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Deputy Director Leandra English should serve as Acting Director of the Consumer Bureau until a Director is confirmed by the Senate.

The brief supports English's request to enjoin Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney from serving as acting Director of the CFPB.

"In sum, the text, structure, and history of Dodd-Frank all point to the same conclusion: the CFPB's Deputy Director serves as acting Director of the Bureau when a vacancy occurs. Congress established this mandatory order of succession to prevent exactly what the Administration is attempting here: temporarily filling the role--and delaying the nomination of a permanent successor--with a designee who reflects the President's policy preferences but has not been subject to the check of Senate confirmation," the lawmakers wrote. "President Trump is entitled to choose who the next Director of the Bureau will be, but he must nominate that person, and the Senate must agree to confirm him or her. Until that happens, Dodd-Frank makes clear who should be running the Bureau: its Deputy Director."