until the President appoints and the Senate confirms a new Director. Despite the plain letter of the law establishing a succession order to fill a vacancy in the Director’s position and the clear legislative history underscoring the importance of having an independent Federal consumer-focused agency, when the Consumer Bureau Director Richard Cordray resigned in November 2017, President Trump refused to recognize the Deputy Director as the rightful head of the agency and instead installed Mr. Mick Mulvaney, the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to serve as the Consumer Bureau’s Acting Director. This appointment of a White House cabinet official to run the Consumer Bureau raises profound conflict of interest questions and undermines the vital independent nature of the agency. (7) Additionally, the position of Acting Director is, by its nature, intended to be a temporary assignment to maintain the status quo at an agency and to ensure the agency is fulfilling its statutory purpose and mandates, until the President appoints, and the Senate confirms a permanent Director. Nevertheless, during his tenure, Mr. Mulvaney instituted drastic and severe changes to the Consumer Bureau’s daily operations and priorities contrary to the agency’s statutory purpose and mandates. (8) The daily operations of a Federal agency are guided by its official mission contained in its long-term strategic plan. The Consumer Bureau’s mission should embrace both the spirit and plain letter of the law by fully recognizing the agency’s statutory purpose, objectives, and functions. It is troubling that the Consumer Bureau, under Mr. Mulvaney, issued a Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year ( FY ) 2018–FY 2022 that appears to deemphasize the Consumer Bureau’s core mandate under section 1021(a) of Dodd-Frank to, enforce Federal consumer financial law consistently for the purpose of ensuring that all consumers have access to markets for consumer financial products and services , by not referencing the importance of enforcement in