Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.] yesterday filed a cloture motion on the nomination of Kathy Kraninger to be the next director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, which makes it appear as though the entire Senate will vote on her confirmation when it returns from its Thanksgiving break.
A cloture motion is a parliamentary procedure that seeks to limit the amount of debate on a particular topic. In the Senate, cloture motions can be used to prevent Senators from engaging in filibusters.
Kraninger was confirmed — narrowly — by the Senate Banking Committee back in August. Voting along party lines, Kraninger, who is currently an associate director at the White House Office of Management & Budget, was confirmed 13-12. There are currently 51 Republicans in the Senate, which means all of them would need to vote to confirm Kraninger, or Republicans would need help from the 47 Democrats or two Independents to approve her nomination.
If the Senate does not vote on Kraninger’s nomination, she will have to be re-nominated by President Trump and then go through the confirmation process again. While that happens, Mick Mulvaney, the BCFP’s acting director, will be allowed to remain in place.
Should Kraninger be confirmed by the Senate, it is expected that she would continue to push the policies and initiatives that Mulvaney has launched during his year at the helm of the BCFP.
