The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reportedly sent termination notices to more employees on Thursday (Feb. 13).
After firing some probationary employees Tuesday (Feb. 11), the agency sent termination notices to dozens of “term employees” who have contracts with end dates, Reuters reported Thursday (Feb. 13).
The firings are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to scale back the size of the federal government, according to the report. The Department of Education and the Small Business Administration have also seen firings.
The CFPB’s supervisory and examination activities were halted Sunday (Feb. 9), when Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget, sent an email to CFPB staffers that said: “Employees should not come into the office. Please do not perform any work tasks.”
Vought also said he would shut off the CFPB’s funding, writing on X that he had informed the Federal Reserve that the agency would not take its next draw of unappropriated funding because it wasn’t needed to fulfill its duties.
“The Bureau’s current balance of $711.6 million is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment,” Vought wrote. “This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off.”
The CFPB sent termination notices to dozens of employees who were on probationary status — meaning they were in a trial period after starting a new government position — late Tuesday.
It was reported Wednesday (Feb. 12) that there may be layoffs coming across government agencies, as the Office of Personnel Management sought lists of all recently hired workers because they are easiest to terminate.
Mass layoffs also targeted recently hired workers still on probation at agencies including the Department of Education, Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration.
While the CFPB faces an uncertain future, the White House said in a Wednesday press release that it sent to the Senate a nomination for Jonathan McKernan to be director of the agency for a term of five years.
McKernan was until Monday (Feb. 10) a director on the board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). He said in a post on X that he stepped down from that position because his term expired and, with the new acting comptroller, there would have been more Republicans on the board than permitted by law.
