CFPB leaders announce resignations after stop-work order

Former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought takes his seat as he arrives to testify before a US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on his second nomination to be OMB director, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 15, 2025.

Jemal Countess | AFP | Getty Images

Two senior leaders at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced their resignations the day after acting director Russell Vought instructed all staff to cease working.

In separate memos sent early Tuesday, Lorelei Salas, supervision director for the agency, and Eric Halperin, enforcement director, said they could no longer serve in their respective roles after Vought’s mandate, according to emails obtained by CNBC.

“The Bureau has been instructed to stand down,” Salas said. “I do not believe it is appropriate, nor lawful, to stop all supervisory activities and examinations, and I cannot longer [sic] serve as the Supervision Director.”

The resignations add further to uncertainty at the CFPB, which has been targeted by trade groups and conservatives for years. Employees at the bureau have been on edge since operatives of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency arrived at the regulator late last week. Then Vought was named acting director, and quickly said he would refuse fresh funding for the agency, shuttered its Washington D.C. headquarters, and instructed staff to freeze all bureau work.

“I don’t believe in these conditions I can effectively serve in my role, which is protecting American consumers,” Halperin said. “Today I made the difficult decision to resign.”

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/11/cfpb-leaders-announce-resignations-after-stop-work-order.html