US consumer finance watchdog workers protest Musk’s DOGE
WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Workers at the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) demonstrated outside its headquarters on Saturday, protesting Elon Musk’s assault on the agency. The union stated that Musk’s DOGE agency had improper access to the bureau’s systems, which could potentially jeopardize sensitive data. Additionally, they expressed concerns that the CFPB could regulate a business Musk has indicated plans to enter. The bureau’s website has been malfunctioning since late Friday, around the time Musk posted a message on X that said: ‘CFPB RIP.’ About 100 people attended the protest, chanting slogans and holding placards that accused Musk and President Donald Trump of subverting democracy. The demonstration, organized by a union chapter representing CFPB staff, came a day after the union said DOGE representatives had gained improper access to the agency’s computer systems. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, DOGE representatives have received administrative-level access to all of the CFPB’s IT systems. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has quickly moved to remake the federal government, gaining access to confidential data and drawing legal challenges from labor groups and state attorneys general. Early Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Musk’s team from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments, citing a risk that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed. On Friday, Trump named newly confirmed Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as the acting CFPB director. Vought is a longtime budget hawk and architect of the right-wing policy manifesto known as Project 2025, which called for the CFPB’s abolition. The CFPB, created in 2010 after the global financial crisis, was charged with policing and regulating the consumer finance sector. Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the agency returned more than $6 billion to consumers while imposing a further $3.2 billion in fines. — news from Reuters
