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Russ Vought is destroying consumer financial protection — impeach him

This month marks one year of my union — which represents workers nationwide at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — fighting every day to get back to work protecting Americans from corporate greed. Since President Trump appointed him acting director last February, Project 2025 architect Russell Vought has been working to dismantle the agency from within.

For now, we’re still here and still fighting — the rumors of the bureau’s demise are premature. But to stop Vought from shutting it down for good, Americans must demand Congress restore the bureau’s funding and impeach Vought.

They say the boss is the best organizer, and Vought’s the worst boss we’ve ever had. Our union sued Vought. For now, we’ve stopped him from illegally shutting down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The courts agreed that only an act of Congress can do this. 

We reversed Vought’s illegal firings of hundreds of workers. We turned the consumer complaints hotline back on, so that you can call 1-855-411-2372 and submit your complaint in more than 180 languages. And just last month, we forced Vought to partially fund the bureau’s 2026 operations, after he attempted to starve the agency of congressionally authorized funding. Not bad for a scrappy little union made up of “nerds for the public good.”

But Vought is appealing our victories in court, and the bureau’s future remains uncertain. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful” tax cut for wealthy special interests reduced its funding by 45 percent. Without restored funding, and with Vought in power, working people will continue to pay the price. We have already seen what one year of Vought’s destruction cost us. We can’t afford another year.

Per one estimate, during his tenure, Vought gifted CEOs $18 billion owed to consumers by reversing refunds and regulations, including limits on overdraft and credit card junk fees. He also gave them an $80 million refund for ripped-off servicemembers. He wasted $5 million in bureau funds on personal bodyguards while cutting oversight of big banks, veterans’ financial protection, cybersecurity for Americans’ sensitive financial data and, reportedly, may cut free financial education. And he sided with health insurance CEOs and debt collectors to keep $50 billion in medical debt on Americans’ credit reports.

All the while, everyday Americans rang alarm bells for help. The number of consumer complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau skyrocketed, doubling in volume from 2024. Unfortunately, many complaints went unanswered when Vought stopped significant operations, leaving homeowners at risk of losing their homes.

This all stands in stark contrast to the bureau’s previous track record. In the past, the bureau had secured more than $21 billion in relief for consumers, including $363 million to servicemembers and veterans. That’s nearly a 3 to 1 return on investment for every dollar the bureau spent.   

Vought’s continued control of the agency and the recent funding cut put its ability to get back to looking out for consumers at risk. Without a functional Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, there is no oversight of big banks like Wells Fargo, Citibank and Bank of America. Because whatever one thinks about the structure of the agency, the reality is simple: When millions more Americans are asking for help, cutting the very agency that handles those complaints leaves constituents with fewer options and fewer protections. 

Restoring full funding and removing Vought would allow the bureau to do the job Congress assigned it. It would protect consumers, support honest businesses that play by the rules and ensure that the workers who carry out this mission — including people like me — can keep serving the public effectively.

To stop the permanent shutdown of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and to have any credibility on affordability with voters at this year’s midterm elections, Congress must immediately bring back its financing and impeach Vought.

Cat Farman is the president of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Union National Treasury Employees Union 335.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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