Signage marking the Washington headquarters of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — long targeted by conservatives — disappeared overnight, according to photos and reporter observations.
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have pushed to dismantle the agency since Trump’s return to the White House a month ago. By Wednesday evening, the emblem at the main entrance and prominent lettering in the lobby were gone. A Reuters photo showed signage over another entrance had vanished by Thursday morning.
The CFPB, created after the 2008 financial crisis, has faced steep cuts as part of Trump’s broader push to shrink federal agencies.
Mark Calabria, a former housing official and adviser at the libertarian Cato Institute, has been temporarily assigned to the CFPB, two industry sources said. Politico first reported the move. Congress has yet to confirm Jonathan McKernan, Trump’s nominee to lead the bureau.
Agency representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Calabria also did not answer emails seeking a statement. A Cato spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that Calabria is no longer with the organization.
In an executive order on Wednesday, Trump dissolved two CFPB advisory councils focused on academic research and credit unions. The White House framed the move as part of a larger effort to cut government size.
A court order last week compelled the CFPB’s leadership to pause mass layoffs, maintain current data collections, and hold off on returning unused funds to the Federal Reserve.
The situation highlights the administration’s swift and aggressive actions to reshape the consumer watchdog agency.
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