Showdown at CFPB: Trump Administration's Aggressive Overhaul Sparks Controversy

President Trump's new chief at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau halted all work, ordering employees to stay away from the office. Acting Director Russell Vought's decision aligns with his known agenda to dissolve the CFPB, causing legal and political pushback while Elon Musk's involvement escalates the situation.

In a radical move, President Donald Trump's newly appointed chief of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has instructed the agency's entire workforce to stay at home and refrain from working, according to an internal email obtained by Reuters.

This directive follows the weekend closure of the agency's headquarters in Washington, leaving its nearly 2,000 employees, responsible for enforcing consumer financial laws across the country, at a standstill. Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought, a proponent of dismantling the agency, issued the instruction via email, emphasizing his long-standing criticism of the bureau.

The situation has intensified amid reports that billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency now has full access to the CFPB's systems, with planned regulatory oversight halting abruptly. With Vought's actions prompting a constitutional challenge from the National Treasury Employees Union, tensions are set to escalate with protests planned outside the CFPB's offices near the White House.

(With inputs from agencies.)