Congresswoman Nikema Williams Condemns the Cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) demanded the reversal of the unlawful actions being taken to undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or “Consumer Bureau”). She pressed Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Russell Vought, to repeal orders to stop work, cancel the plans for a dismissal of more than 1500 employees, and revoke Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) access to sensitive data on millions of consumers and competitors to businesses owned by Mr. Musk.
Additionally, Congresswoman Nikema Williams strongly encouraged Acting Director Russell Vought to comply with Financial Services Committee Ranking Members Maxine Waters’ recent letter requesting a hearing on the status of the CFPB to explain how these actions will not harm my constituents.
Congresswoman Nikema Williams wrote:
“The CFPB is the only federal agency solely dedicated to protecting consumers from financial fraud, scams, and other unfair, deceptive and abusive products and practices in the financial marketplace. Halting CFPB supervision and enforcement is placing consumers at greater risk of financial exploitation. Since its inception, the Consumer Bureau has returned more than $21 billion to consumers of which $3.3 billion came from relief from the Civil Penalty Fund. In my state of Georgia, we have seen nearly $150M returned to more than 300,000 consumers from the Civil Penalty Fund alone.”
“The CFPB has been an incredible example of the government standing up for those most marginalized against corporate exploitation, fraud, and abuse. Your planned gutting of this critical agency makes it clear that your desire is to allow big companies to take advantage of my constituents with impunity. That is unacceptable.”
Congresswoman Nikema Williams also asks that Vought and the Trump Administration respond to various questions listed in the letter by May 1st, 2025.
Read the full letter here.