Tom Harkin: “as the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I wish to respond to some of the shrill…”

“as the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I wish to respond to some of the shrill rhetoric and outright misinformation regarding President Obama's recent recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When all the political grandstanding is done, at the heart of this dispute is the ability of these two agencies to carry out their congressionally mandated functions. One is charged with defending the rights of consumers and the other defending the rights of workers. Republican partisan obstruction and filibusters prevented confirmation of nominees to lead both these agencies, which would have prevented their legal authority to act. With the rights of millions of American workers and consumers on the line, the President did what was his duty to preserve the functioning of two critically important agencies--agencies that are essential cornerstones of our efforts to rebuild and restore our struggling middle class. At a time when our Nation is engaged in serious soul-searching about the demise of the middle class, the missions of the Consumer Bureau and the Labor Board have become particularly essential. These agencies are tasked with the vital responsibility of standing for consumers and workers against Wall Street and powerful corporations.…”