Junk(ets): Mulvaney Excuse for Disbanding Advisory Board Unravels with Look at His Record
Mulvaney’s CFPB Says Consumer Advisory Board Members Were Living Large on Trips for Board Meetings, but They Were Roughing It Compared to Mulvaney’s Luxury Excursions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, CFPB “Acting Director” Mick Mulvaney disbanded the Consumer Advisory Board. In doing so, his staff attempted to explain the decision by, among other things, indicating that the group of academics and consumer advocates cared more about being “wined and dined” during board meeting trips than they did about consumers.
Scoffing at the accusation, one board member noted she stayed at a Hampton Inn while traveling for advisory board business and paid for her own alcohol at events, per CFPB policy. Mulvaney, on the other hand, has a long history of living large on trips funded by industry and special interests when he served in Congress.
“This attack says more about Mulvaney and his political staff than it does about the consumer advocates he expelled from the CFPB’s legally mandated Consumer Advisory Board. A quick review of the public record shows advocates were roughing it compared to the luxury junkets Mulvaney has taken thanks to industry and Wall Street special interests. He doesn’t care about saving tax dollars, he only cares about weakening the CFPB’s ability to fulfill its consumer protection mission,” said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress.
He continued, “Mr. Mulvaney would rather bury his head in the sand than be forced to follow the law and hear the voices of consumers and experts who want him to do right by people who are screwed over by financial predators. It’s time for President Trump to nominate a CFPB director who will meet the bureau’s legal obligations and stand up for consumers. We deserve a champion not a corporate shill.”
What You Need To Know
- Mulvaney’s spokesperson believes that the Consumer Advisory Board cared more about living large than protecting consumers. A Mulvaney spokesperson said members of the Consumer Advisory Board seemed to care more about taking taxpayer-funded trips and being “wined and dined” at taxpayer expense than they did about consumers. [Kate Berry, “Mulvaney makes it official, fires CFPB advisory board members,” American Banker, 06/06/18]
- Mulvaney lived large on the dime of industry and special interest groups while in Congress. Mick Mulvaney took thousands of dollars’ worth of trips funded by industry and interest groups while serving in Congress. Mulvaney went on seven trips, costing $7,807, that were funded by Club for Growth, the Heritage Foundation, FreedomWorks, and Founders Federal Credit Union. [Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 04/01/11; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 10/19/11; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 03/30/12; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 08/29/12; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 02/21/13; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 03/22/13; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 02/25/14]
- The CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board was roughing it compared to the luxury trips Mulvaney took. Industry and interest groups have paid for Mick Mulvaney to stay at hotels like The Ritz-Carlton, The Greenbrier, The Four Seasons, and a resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. By contrast, a member of the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board tweeted that she stayed in Hampton Inn hotels and flew economy airfare to meetings. She also noted that she paid for her own alcohol at these events, per CFPB policy. [Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 04/01/11; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 10/19/11; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 03/30/12; Mick Mulvaney Member/Officer Post-Travel Disclosure Form, US House of Representatives, 08/29/12; Chi Chi Wu Tweet, Twitter, 06/06/18]
- Mulvaney’s criticism of the Consumer Advisory Board seems absurd given the Administration he serves. Trump Administration Cabinet Members have been under scrutiny for lavish travel expenses. This includes Tom Price, who resigned after abusing taxpayer money to fund chartered flights, Ryan Zinke, who used National Park Service employees and resources as a shuttle service, and Scott Pruitt, who brought a federal security detail along with him to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl. [Russell Berman, “The Donald Trump Cabinet Tracker,” The Atlantic, 05/18/18; Cristina Alesci, Sara Ganim, Rene Marsh and Gregory Wallace, “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s NRA visit among several trips being questioned,” CNN Politics, 02/27/18; Daniel Hemel and David Herzig, “Scott Pruitt’s travel could leave him with a big tax bill,” The Washington Post, 04/16/18]
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