Workers at US Consumer Watchdog CFPB Protest as Trump Appointee Takes Over
Source: US News and World Report/Reuters
Feb. 8, 2025, at 10:56 a.m.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -About 100 workers at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau protested outside the agency's headquarters on Saturday, hours after President Donald Trump's newly installed management and budget director Russell Vought took control.
The staffers who are members of the CFPB Union NTEU 335 braved chilly temperatures, chanting slogans as passing motorists honked in support. Some carried signs saying "Resist the mean bros," in reference to billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, whose agents have accessed highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees.
The Wall Street Journal reported late on Friday that representatives of the South African-born Musk's DOGE had gained "read-only" access to CFPB computer systems. Earlier that day, Musk posted a message on X indicating the agency was facing its demise: "CFPB RIP." The agency's website also appeared to be malfunctioning as of Saturday afternoon. The CFPB did not respond to a request for comment while the Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to detailed questions.
The CFPB Union said on Friday it planned to pursue all avenues, including legal, to protect members' private data as well as that of consumers and financial institutions "that we have sworn to safeguard." It urged consumer advocates, industry stakeholders, lawmakers and concerned citizens "to help us thwart this potentially dangerous incursion."
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-02-08/russell-vought-takes-over-at-cfpb-as-musks-doge-gains-access
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