Following up on Jeff's "Waiting for Godot" post noting the possibility that President Obama may nominate Raj Date (not Elizabeth Warren) to head up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, today's Washington Post reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is steadfast in his vow to block any CFPB nominee unless the agency is restructured to the Republicans' liking:
[A]n aide to ... McConnell said Thursday that the lawmaker stands by his vow to block any candidate. Late last month, McConnell led 44 senators in a letter to the White House calling for structural changes to the bureau. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has accused GOP opponents of discriminating against Warren because she is female, but McConnell’s complaints are much broader. “It’s not sexist. It’s not Elizabeth Warren-specific,” McConnell spokesman Donald Stewart said. “It’s any nominee.” It takes only a single senator to hold up the confirmation indefinitely. President Obama could appoint someone duuring the next congressional recess, but Republicans can keep the Senate in session to block that move.
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