Acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Russell Vought told employees of the agency to work from home this week as the office in Washington, D.C., will be closed, according to multiple reports.
An email sent to staff on Sunday announcing the office closure said, “Employees and contractors are to work remotely unless instructed otherwise from our Acting Director or his designee.”
“The DC Headquarters Building will be closed this week (2/10-2/14),” it added.
According to the reports, no reason was given for the closure.
The news of an empty headquarters at the CFPB this coming week follows reports that several employees of the Department of Government Efficiency entered the CFPB headquarters on Friday to conduct a review of the agency. That came on the same day Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, posted “CFPB RIP” with a tombstone emoji on X, signaling it may receive significant scrutiny from the newly created agency that is spearheading efforts to cut down on wasteful spending of taxpayer money in the federal government.
The DOGE employees appear to have limited access to records and are mainly scrutinizing the agency to ensure it is complying with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, including ending DEI initiatives. Politico also reported that three Musk allies have set up an office in the CFPB.
In further moves at the agency, Vought, who is also the director of the Office of Management and Budget after being confirmed by the Senate last week, announced on Saturday that the CFPB would not receive its next round of “unappropriated funding” as this has contributed to the agency’s “unaccountability.”
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“Pursuant to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, I have notified the Federal Reserve that CFPB will not be taking its next draw of unappropriated funding because it is not “reasonably necessary” to carry out its duties. The Bureau’s current balance of $711.6 million is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment. This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off,” he posted on X.
Earlier this weekend, Vought also ordered CFPB staff to cease “all supervision and examination activity” and “all stakeholder engagement” following directives that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously made.