The Hill News

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a scathing statement Wednesday criticizing President Obama's decision to recess-appoint Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"To say we are disappointed in the move by the president today would be a gross understatement," Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue said in a release. "This controversial appointment is unprecedented, constitutionally questionable, and puts the authority of the director and the validity of the bureau’s work in legal jeopardy."

Donohue's statement is similar to those of Senate Republicans who criticized Obama's decision. Republicans have called for structural changes to the bureau, arguing that, as the new bureau designed now, Cordray would wield too much unchecked power.

"What’s more, it ignores repeated calls to reform the bureau by restoring basic checks and balances," Donohue continued. "The Senate has already made it clear that structura! l changes are needed before a director can be confirmed and the Executive Branch has defied convention to undermine that process."

Senate Republicans have held the chamber in a pro forma session to block an up-or-down confirmation vote on Cordray's nomination. They argue the president shouldn't be able to make the recess appointment because Congress is still in session.

Obama administration lawyers have cited legal interpretations from former President George W. Bush's time in office in defense of the confirmation during a pro forma session. Republicans have cited Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) use of pro forma sessions to block recess appointments by Bush.