December 12, 2017

Brown Leads Amicus Brief Supporting CFPB Independence Under Dodd-Frank Law

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, along with 36 current and former Members of Congress including Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, filed an amicus brief in support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Deputy Director Leandra English’s motion to obtain a preliminary injunction in order to be reinstated as acting Director of the CFPB.

“The Dodd-Frank law is clear that Deputy Director English is the legal Acting Director, and she must be allowed to continue the agency’s work standing up for working families against financial abuse until a permanent Director is confirmed by the Senate,” Brown said. “The White House must follow the law and nominate a permanent director swiftly who will fight for working people instead of the lenders that cheat them.”

The amicus brief argues that in order to preserve the independence of the CFPB, Congress provided for the CFPB’s Deputy Director to assume the role of acting Director in the event of a vacancy.  In section 1011(b)(5) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Congress instructed that the Deputy Director “shall…serve as acting Director” when the Director’s office becomes vacant.

On November 29th, current and former Members of Congress filed an amicus brief in support of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), against OMB Director Mick Mulvaney. This preliminary injunction will allow for a more thorough consideration of the merits of the case that Judge Kelly called “complicated” and “unusual”.

 

LIST OF AMICUS SIGNATORS

(Alphabetical Order)

 

Beatty, Joyce 

  Representative of Ohio

 

Brown, Sherrod 

  Senator of Ohio

 

Capuano, Michael E.

  Representative of Massachusetts

 

Clay Jr., William “Lacy” 

  Representative of Missouri

 

Cleaver, Emanuel 

  Representative of Missouri

 

Cortez Masto, Catherine 

  Senator of Nevada

 

Crist, Charlie 

  Representative of Florida

 

Crowley, Joseph

  Representative of New York

 

Delaney, John K.

  Representative of Maryland

 

Dodd, Christopher

  Former Senator of Connecticut

 

Ellison, Keith

  Representative of Minnesota

 

Foster, Bill 

  Representative of Illinois

 

Frank, Barney

  Former Representative of Massachusetts

 

Green, Al 

  Representative of Texas

 

Heck, Denny 

  Representative of Washington

 

Himes, Jim 

  Representative of Connecticut

 

Hirono, Mazie K. 

  Senator of Hawai?i

 

Hoyer, Steny 

  Representative of Maryland

 

Johnson, Tim

  Former Senator of South Dakota

 

Kanjorski, Paul E. 

  Former Representative of Pennsylvania

 

Kildee, Dan 

  Representative of Michigan

 

Lynch, Stephen F. 

  Representative of Massachusetts

 

Maloney, Carolyn

  Representative of New York

 

Meeks, Gregory W.

  Representative of New York

 

Menendez, Robert 

  Senator of New Jersey

 

Merkley, Jeff

  Senator of Oregon

 

Miller, Brad

  Former Representative of North Carolina

 

Moore, Gwen

  Representative of Wisconsin

 

Pelosi, Nancy 

  Representative of California

 

Schatz, Brian

  Senator of Hawai?i

 

Schumer, Charles E. 

  Senator of New York

 

Sherman, Brad

  Representative of California

 

Van Hollen, Chris 

  Senator of Maryland

 

Vargas, Juan

  Representative of California

 

Velázquez, Nydia M. 

  Representative of New York

 

Warren, Elizabeth 

  Senator of Massachusetts

 

Waters, Maxine  

  Representative of California

 

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