{"id":7152,"date":"2026-01-13T08:20:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=7152"},"modified":"2026-01-13T08:20:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:20:44","slug":"judge-forces-white-house-budget-director-to-keep-consumer-bureau-on-life-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/judge-forces-white-house-budget-director-to-keep-consumer-bureau-on-life-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Forces White House Budget Director to Keep Consumer Bureau on Life Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Begrudgingly, Russell T. Vought just requested $145 million from the Federal Reserve to keep the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau<\/a> \u2014 which he runs \u2014 alive. Barely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only a few months of the CFPB\u2019s work will be covered by that $145 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge Amy Berman Jackson declared in a December 30, 2025 federal court order that Vought, CFPB acting director, has to keep requesting funds, as reported by The New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI disagree,\u201d said Vought when writing the funding request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Trying to Shut It Down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear an appeal of the same judge\u2019s decision that Russell Vought cannot fire the CFPB staff completely out of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vought also directs the White House budget office. Under a Congressional deadline, Vought will need to vacate his acting director role at the CFPB by August 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Vought appears to be working tirelessly to sabotage the agency he\u2019s been entrusted to lead. This is after a Trump-signed bill came into effect that cuts the allowable CFPB funding almost by half.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally, a CFPB director sends in funding requests multiple times a year. But Vought hasn\u2019t tried to request any funding at all over the past year. He\u2019s openly expressed a desire to shutter the CFPB. So far, the National Treasury Employees Union and others have fought Vought\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vought has claimed that the Federal Reserve may no longer fund the consumer bureau \u2014 despite the fact that it\u2019s done so for years. The Justice Department pressed Federal Reserve leader Jerome Powell to confirm whether the Fed may be returning to profitability. If not, the CFPB cannot get funding from the Fed, Vought has insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Is Vought There?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lost its principal deputy enforcement director, Michael G. Salemi. Seeing \u201cno path\u201d to future effectiveness under the Trump administration, Salemi resigned on December 4, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administration halted so much work at the agency that Salemi saw no point in carrying out an essentially meaningless role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salemi\u2019s resignation was one of a string of departures from CFPB leadership. Former enforcement chief Eric Halperin was among the exodus that Salemi joined. Acting director Cara Petersen had already left, pointing to the way the agency\u2019s enforcement leadership was being stripped of its authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Salemi left, no potential successor remained. Standing in the void, Vought took charge of the CFPB in February 2025. Vought has presided over staff cuts, and left parties to legal settlements in the lurch. \u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will rehear the National Treasury Employees Union\u2019s case against Vought, beginning on February 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, CFPB watchers believe enforcement work will continue to slow down. Specifically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n