Obama blasts GOP for blocking consumer bureau pick

President Obama Thursday blasted Republicans for blocking his appointee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and said he is considering installing him in the job while Congress is out of session over the holidays.

With such a recess appointment, former Ohio Atty. Gen. Richard Cordray could serve for a year without the support of Congress.

“We’re not giving up on this,” Obama told reporters during an appearance in the White House briefing room. “We’re going to look at all our options.”

Debating the issue Thursday, senators on both sides of the aisle complained that the other side is playing politics with the issue. Senate Republicans want structural changes in the bureau before they clear the way for an appointee to head it.

Democrats, with Obama leading the charge, say those GOP lawmakers are simply doing the bidding of corporate interests.

That’s why Cordray needs to be fully empowered to do his job right now, Obama said.

“Part of the reason we got into the mess we were in,” the president said, is that “people were not paying attention to who was being taken advantage of.”