White House budget director Russell Vought dropped a political bombshell Wednesday, revealing his intent to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) within months — a move that directly clashes with the government’s own courtroom defense that the agency is merely being “downsized.”
During a candid conversation on The Charlie Kirk Show, Vought — who also serves as the acting CFPB director — said the bureau is operating with only a skeleton crew while he executes what he called a final phase of its closure.
“We don’t have anyone working there except our Republican appointees and a few careers doing statutory responsibilities while we close down the agency,” Vought asserted. “We will be successful probably within the next two or three months.”
Vought’s Comments Contradict DOJ’s Court Arguments
Vought’s remarks stand in sharp contrast to the U.S. Department of Justice’s position in ongoing litigation filed by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and other consumer groups.
The plaintiffs accuse Vought of conducting an illegal campaign to dismantle the CFPB — firing staff, canceling contracts, and slashing operations in defiance of federal law.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., previously issued an injunction halting those actions, describing Vought’s mission as “a presidential plan to shut the agency down entirely and do it fast.”
The DOJ, however, pushed back, claiming that the administration only intended to “streamline” the bureau. One government lawyer told the D.C. Circuit in May that Vought merely sought to “strip it down to the statutory studs” — a move they argued was fully lawful.
