Lobbying pays off...

Mulvaney to bankers: Lobbying lawmakers pays off

Outside lobbyists, he said, may have to pay to get in the door.

By KATY O'DONNELL

Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has a message to people seeking to gain access to Congress: A lawmaker’s constituents should always get a hearing, no matter what.

But outside lobbyists, he said, may have to pay to get in the door.

Speaking at an American Bankers Association event on Tuesday, Mulvaney discussed the “hierarchy” in his former congressional office as he urged bankers to lobby their representatives in Congress.

“I never get tired of telling people, it does count” to visit in person, he told the crowd, in a familiar routine he delivers to audiences. “What you do here matters. We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress: If you were a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you. If you came from back home and sat in my lobby, I talked to you without exception, regardless of financial contributions.“

One of the key roles for constituents is lobbying their lawmakers, he said.

“People coming from back home to tell people in Congress what issues are important to them is one of the fundamental underpinnings of our representative democracy, and you have to continue to do it,” he said.

That advice, Mulvaney said, goes for everyone: “You may be completely on the other end of the political ideology from me, and I don’t care. The fact that people simply come up and get engaged will always have value.”

Mulvaney, who also serves as director of the White House budget office, was installed as temporary chief of the CFPB by President Donald Trump in November after his predecessor, an Obama appointee, abruptly quit.

Since then, consumer advocates have accused him of favoring banks and businesses by trying to curtail the power of the consumer watchdog.

Mulvaney acknowledged that critics have accused him of “politicizing” the CFPB in his five months as acting director.

“We are running a different place — we are,” Mulvaney said. “Elections have consequences. … Yes, this is a different bureau than it was under [my] predecessor; it is a different bureau than it was under Mr. Obama. That is the nature of the business.”

Still, he said, many of the fears of his opponents are exaggerated.

“People wondered when I got the job if I was going to shut the place down. I told them no, because I can’t,” Mulvaney said, to laughter. “The law says the bureau shall do things. … It’s not up to me to shut it down — that’s up to the lawmakers.”

His off-the-cuff remarks landed well with the hundreds of bankers, who gave him a standing ovation as he left the stage.