Trump Admin. Continues to Clean House, Firing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Chief

Rohit Chopra, the head of the embattled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has resigned from his position at the urging of President Trump. Whether he resigned or was fired, it seems, depends on who you talk to:

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced his departure on Saturday, becoming the latest Biden administration holdover official to be ousted by the Trump administration.
Rohit Chopra, who served as the director of the consumer watchdog agency since 2021, posted a letter addressed to President Trump online, in which he said his term leading the bureau “has concluded.” Chopra had been confirmed for a five-year term, which would have run through late 2026.
“With so much power concentrated in the hands of a few, agencies like the CFPB have never been more critical,” he wrote.

It's been an honor serving as your @CFPB Director.

Every day, Americans from across the country shared their ideas and experiences with us. You helped us hold powerful companies & their executives accountable for breaking the law, and you made our work better.

Thank you. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JD7lIcwmHa
— Rohit Chopra (@chopracfpb) February 1, 2025

The CFPB, the brainchild of radical leftist Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA,) has been under considerable scrutiny in recent months. At least one report has it that Pres. Trump actually fired Chopra:

The Associated Press reported that Trump fired Chopra and was notified of his ouster in an email from the White House.
Trump appointed Chopra to a Democratic seat with the agency during his first term. He was confirmed to run the agency in a 50-48 Senate vote in September 2021.

As recently as Thursday, Chopra reportedly was confident in keeping his job, despite the scrutiny the CFPB was drawing not only from the Trump administration but also from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Should the Trump Admin Halt All Biden-Era Rule Changes, Like Those From the CFPB? YES!

On Thursday, a New York Times piece quoted Chopra as intending to serve out his original term, which would have ended in 2026.

Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, expected to be fired soon after President Trump took office. More than a week later, he remains in his job — a source of puzzlement among his allies and frustration for those who want to see him gone.
“I swore an oath to a five-year term, and I will keep serving that until I can pass the baton to someone else,” Mr. Chopra, who was appointed in 2021 by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., said in an interview this week. “I totally respect and understand that the president can choose a director of his choice.”

The CFPB, we might point out, has something in common with many federal agencies and bureaus; it isn't authorized by the Constitution. The CFPB has been beset by accusations of discrimination and hostile working conditions; in 2023, the CFPB settled an employment discrimination lawsuit with a $6 million settlement.

Meanwhile, the CFPB chief of staff and the Treasury union are advising employees to ignore the recent Trump administration proposal requiring employees to return to their offices, resign or face termination:

The National Treasury Employees Union and the chief of staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau urged employees not to respond to the Trump administration's mass email urging federal employees to resign.
President Trump's directive, sent Tuesday evening to an estimated 2.2 million federal employees, requires that agency workers return to the office full time and gives them until Feb. 6 to resign or face further action.

This situation is developing quickly. It must be a trifle dizzying to be a federal employee at the moment; the incoming Trump administration hit the ground not running but sprinting, and seems determined to sprint to the finish. They have good reason to do so: The federal workforce has to be reduced; there are $36 trillion compelling reasons to scale back the federal government as a whole, and as I've written before, the Constitution supplies a ready guide on where to start.