The Hill News

Unions endorsed Elizabeth Warren Tuesday to head the new consumer financial protection agency.

In a statement, the AFL-CIO said Warren was “uniquely qualified and equipped” to head the agency, which was created by the new financial services reform bill that President Obama plans to sign Wednesday. The Harvard Law School professor originated the idea of the agency.

“We therefore strongly urge President Obama to appoint Professor Warren as Director of the new consumer protection bureau. Professor Warren’s appointment would make clear that under President Obama’s leadership, there truly will be accountability for Wall Street and fair treatment for the American public in the financial marketplace,” the AFL-CIO statement says. 

Also, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is supporting Warren to be consumer protection chief. In a personal meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry plans to push for Warren to head up the agency, considering her an “excellent choice,” according to a union official. 

Warren also is chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, which scrutinized the government’s handling of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. She was not afraid to throw a few elbows as a tough leader of the panel, and she often upset Republicans and financial sector executives.

That won her fans among liberal activists and labor unions. Some put her on their short list for a Supreme Court nomination from Obama.