The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created early in President Obama’s term, as part of a package of modest reforms to our financial system. Republicans have been seething about it ever since — perhaps because they hate everything Obama does, or perhaps because they actually oppose protecting consumers from predatory lending. So they decided they would simply filibuster every single appointment to lead the organization. They even admitted as much:

In December, Senate Republicans blocked a vote on Cordray, who has majority support. In an unprecedented move, Republicans said that Cordray was a fine candidate, but they were holding his nomination hostage because they wanted to change the underlying law and weaken the agency.

The Republicans’ use of the filibuster to starve the executive and judicial branches has been absolutely unprecedented. The CFPB is only the most glaring example. Nevertheless, it took Obama two years to finally use a recess appointment to bypass Republican obstruction. And predictably, Republicans and their allies are screaming that Obama is trouncing the Constitution. They’re projecting.

As Mother Jones shows, Obama has used recess appointments far less than any of his recent predecessors. In fact, it’s the Republicans who are subverting the Constitution by refusing to allow anyone to staff executive agencies, and by unconstitutionally attempting to keep the Senate in session when they don’t have that power.

So tough luck, Republicans. Despite your best efforts — and it sickens me that you’ve gone to such great lengths to prevent this — consumers will have a small agency to look out for their best interests.