President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE will nominate Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official Kathy Kraninger to be the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the White House said Saturday.

White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters confirmed Trump’s choice of Kraninger, an associate director at OMB, in a Saturday statement.

Kraninger would take the reins of the politically polarizing consumer watchdog agency that Republicans have long fought to weaken.

Walters said the little-known budget official “will bring a fresh perspective and much-needed management experience to the [bureau], which has been plagued by excessive spending, dysfunctional operations, and politicized agendas."

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Kraninger would replace White House budget director Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security Blockchain trade group names Mick Mulvaney to board Mick Mulvaney to start hedge fund MORE, the OMB chief who has served as the CFPB’s acting director since November. Trump's decision to nominate Kraninger was first reported by Bloomberg.

While she has little apparent experience with financial regulation, the White House said Kraninger is "a staunch supporter of free enterprise" that will "ensure that consumers and markets are not harmed by fraudulent actors.

Kraninger is seen as a politically safe choice who would continue to ease the CFPB’s policing of the financial services industry. Even so, she will likely to face a lengthy confirmation process as the Senate sprints to finish must-pass legislation and approve a slew of federal judges before November's midterm elections.

Mulvaney's term as acting CFPB director ends Thursday, but he is allowed under federal personnel rules to lead the bureau until the his successor's confirmation. The acting chief is expected to stay at the CFPB for several months longer as the Senate mulls Kraninger's nomination.

If confirmed, Kraninger will serve a five-year term as CFPB director, armed with broad authority over the bureau's regulation and oversight of U.S. banks, lenders and financial services companies.

Republicans have tried to upend the powerful agency created by the Dodd-Frank Act to snuff out predatory lending and abusive financial products.

The CFPB was the brainchild of Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenDimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' CNN's Don Lemon: 'Blow up the entire system' remark taken out of context Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (D-Mass.), designed to be an imposing and independent watchdog armed with extensive regulatory and enforcement power.

Richard Cordray Richard Adams CordrayConsumer bureau revokes payday lending restrictions Supreme Court ruling could unleash new legal challenges to consumer bureau Supreme Court rules consumer bureau director can be fired at will MORE, the former Ohio attorney general who served as the bureau’s first director, delighted Democrats and enraged Republicans with his aggressive oversight of the financial sector.

The CFPB became vulnerable to Republicans for the first time when Cordray resigned in November 2017 to run for Ohio governor. Cordray’s departure allowed Trump to appoint Mulvaney, the White House budget director, as acting CFPB chief.

Kraninger's nomination won praise from financial services lobbyists that wanted Trump to choose a moderate manager to lead the bureau.

Richard Hunt, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers of America, said Kraninger is "an experienced manager, has the necessary budgetary knowledge, and can serve as a steady hand shepherding the Bureau."

“The Bureau has been a political pawn for too long," Hunt said.

Liberal nonprofits that were aligned with the CFPB under Cordray blasted Kraninger's nomination as power grab by Mulvaney.

“This is nothing more than a desperate attempt by Mick Mulvaney to maintain his grip on the CFPB, so he can continue undermining its important consumer protection mission on behalf of the powerful Wall Street special interests and predatory lenders that have bankrolled his career,” said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress.

Updated at 6:12 p.m.