GOP Blocked Elizabeth Warren to Be Director of CFPB Now She’s the Senior Senator From Massachusetts

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Last updated on February 7th, 2013 at 05:34 pm

Back in 2011, Senate Republicans blocked Elizabeth Warren’s potential recess appointment to be the director of the CFPB. After John Kerry’s Secretary of State confirmation, she is now the senior senator from Massachusetts.

Back in May of 2011, Senate Republicans blocked adjournment over Memorial Day weekend in order to prevent President Obama from making any recess appointments. One of the appointments that Obama was not able to make was that of Elizabeth Warren to head up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 44 Republican senators sent a letter to Obama vowing to block any nominee to the CFPB, “We write to express our concerns about the lack of accountability in the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As presently organized, far too much power will be vested in the CFPB director without any effective checks and balances. Accordingly, we will not support the consideration of any nominee, regardless of party affiliation, to be the CFPB director until the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is reformed.”

Republicans did the banking industry’s bidding by fighting tooth and nail against the Warren nomination. Eventually, Obama bypassed Warren and selected Richard Cordray to head up the CFPB.

Republicans thought they had won, but they had no idea how much they lost.

By blocking Warren’s appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Republicans set the wheels in motion for her to run against Scott Brown. Warren handily defeated Brown and won his Senate seat, which means that the woman they didn’t want running the CPFB is now an exponentially more powerful United States senator.

Today, the story of how Republican obstructionism made Elizabeth Warren one of the most powerful women in U.S. politics took another turn as many of the same Republican senators who opposed Warren in 2011 voted to confirm John Kerry’s nomination to be next secretary of state. This means that Elizabeth Warren is now the senior senator from Massachusetts.

The woman that the banking industry did not want running the CFPB is now a member of the Senate Banking Committee.

Republican obstruction completely backfired, and opened the door to Elizabeth Warren’s political career.

Yes, Republicans, you built that.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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