Senators Want to Place Kraninger’s CFPB Nomination on Hold
Senators Warren and Brown want to know Kraninger's role in the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) says she will place a hold on the nomination of Kathy Kraninger to head the CFPB until Kraninger answers questions about her possible role in the Trump Administration’s “Zero Tolerance” immigration policy that has resulted in many children being separated from their parents.
As an associate director at the Office of Management and Budget, Kraninger works on budget and policy issues dealing with the Homeland Security and Justice Departments. Those agencies are implementing the administration’s immigration policies.
In a letter Monday to Kraninger, Warren and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee ask the nominee to answer a series of questions about her possible role in the immigration policies.
Warren also is a member of the Banking Committee.
They asked Kraninger to provide a list of meetings she may have attended dealing with the immigration policy, all e-mails with Justice and Homeland Security officials regarding it, and all e-mails with White House officials on immigration.
In addition, they asked Kraninger to turn over all OMB analyses, recommendations or policy and budget decisions.
“The American people deserve to know what role you have played in developing and implementing this appalling process,” the senators wrote.
The “hold” process is not found anywhere in federal law; it is an informal process that is part of Senate tradition.
Meanwhile, Brown, Warren and others have questioned Kraninger’s experience, saying that she has no experience in handling financial services or consumer financial issues.
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney has been serving as acting CFPB director and will be able to serve until the end of the year if the Senate does not confirm Kraninger.
Mulvaney lent his support to Kraninger’s nomination today.
“Her commitment to the law, to protecting consumers and to defending what works in our vibrant financial services sector, all while respecting hard-working taxpayers who pay their bills and play by the rules ensures that the Bureau will be in good hands throughout her term,” he said.
And he made it clear that Kraninger will continue the pro-business positions that Mulvaney has adopted at the CFPB.
“I know that my efforts to rein in the bureaucracy at the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to make it more accountable, effective, and efficient will be continued under her able stewardship,” he said.