( February 16, 2012) -- In a hearing marked by sharp partisan exchanges, House Republican lawmakers on February 15 criticized the spending of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, its lack of accountability, and the salaries of some of its employees. Democratic members of the Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee countered with a vigorous defense of the agency’s independence and its budget and praised its role in protecting consumers from abusive practices by financial institutions and others....