Senate Cloture Moves Cordray CFPB Confirmation Toward Vote

The Senate voted 71-29 on Tuesday to move forward with a final vote regarding the nomination of Director Richard Cordray to head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The upper chamber invoked cloture, which limits remaining debate to no more than eight hours, so the final vote is expected soon.

In a release, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) called the vote a win for the American people and commended Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for the move.

“Rich has proven to be effective leader and I have no doubt he will now be confirmed,” Johnson said.

Johnson continued, thanking Cordray for running the bureau for the past two years despite the uncertainty surrounding his confirmation.

Cordray’s nomination has been challenged by Republican leaders and in court because President Barack Obama made the appointment during a period in which the Senate was in recess.

In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia invalidated three appointments Obama made to the National Labor Relations Board during that same period, unanimously ruling that the president had exceeded his constitutional authority in bypassing Senate confirmation.