A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from firing employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This decision comes amid an ongoing attempt by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump to dismantle the agency.
The judge’s ruling means that the Trump administration cannot fire any CFPB employees without a valid reason or make any cuts to the workforce. This agreement also prevents the administration from deleting or removing data from the agency or moving its funds. The order was signed by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which is suing the administration, had raised concerns that the Trump administration was planning to fire large numbers of employees and destroy critical data. At a court hearing on Friday, Deepak Gupta, a lawyer for the union, warned that the administration was preparing for mass firings.
A former CFPB official, Eric Meyer, also told the court that he had received information suggesting the administration was planning to fire many employees that day and over the weekend. Meyer, who used to work as the CFPB’s chief technologist, also said there were reports that the agency’s data might be deleted. He warned that this could lead to the loss of important public records.
The union filed a lawsuit against acting CFPB director Russell Vought on Sunday, arguing that the changes to the agency violate the separation of powers between the branches of government.
Vought, who was confirmed as the director of the Office of Management and Budget last week, was also made acting director of the CFPB. Shortly after taking over, Vought ordered that all work at the CFPB be stopped. He also instructed employees to stop supervising and examining financial institutions, and he announced the agency would not take its next payment from the Federal Reserve. The following day, the administration sent termination notices to around 70 probationary employees. More workers were fired later in the week.
