The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has temporarily halted plans to shrink its current workforce by more than half until a new bureau director is in place, according to a court filing.
In March, the CFPB asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. for permission to implement a workforce restructuring plan to shrink the bureau’s staffing from 1,174 to 556 employees. CFPB Acting Director Russell Vought has previously sought to reduce the bureau’s headcount by 90%, prompting a lawsuit from the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents bureau employees.
President Trump has since nominated Brian Johnson to lead the CFPB. In a court filing, attorneys representing both the administration and the union said the bureau does not plan to implement the workforce reductions until Johnson has been confirmed as CFPB director.
“The parties agree that Mr. Johnson, if confirmed, should be given the opportunity to review the 2026 [reduction in force] plan and decide whether he would like to pursue it,” they said.
In related news, Vought is scheduled to deliver the CFPB’s semi-annual report to the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday and the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.
