Labor union urges recess appointment for Elizabeth Warren

The labor union umbrella group AFL-CIO is urging President Barack Obama to make a recess appointment for Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), even as Republicans search for any way to stifle her.

"No matter who gets the recess appointment of President Obama, Republicans have made it clear they’ll scream and holler," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wrote in a mass email Thursday.

"This reflects a sorry state in our politics — but it’s also a historic opportunity to recess appoint Elizabeth Warren, who’s already shown as acting director of the CFPB that she’s a true champion for working families," he continued. "Urge President Obama to recess appoint Elizabeth Warren — who will truly stand up for consumers."

Trumka is just the latest powerful voice to sound off in favor of Warren's recess appointment. Last week, 89 House Democrats signed a letter urging Obama to give the bureau's leadership role to Warren.

“We can think of no better person to be the first director of this incredibly important consumer financial protection regulator," they wrote.

Similarly, a Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) petition circulated in recent weeks received over 216,000 signatures.

So far, 44 Republican Senators have pledged to filibuster any appointment to lead the agency unless its regulatory powers are significantly weakened.

Reacting to this promise to stop the agency from performing its duties, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) said late last month that Obama should "use his power constitutional power to bypass Republicans and make a recess appointment." Franken was also active in promoting the PCCC petition.

Even if she's not appointed to lead the CFPB, Warren will likely still play a key advisory role at the agency, according to an official at the U.S. Treasury Dept.

(H/T: The Hill)