Trump administration

President Trump has nominated Stuart Levenbach, associate director of the Office of Management and Budget, to be the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His selection allows acting CFPB Director Russell Vought to remain in place for at least another 210 days.

The Department of Justice told a court that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cannot legally request funding from the Federal Reserve System, arguing that the Fed has not turned a profit since 2022 and thus cannot fund the CFPB.

President Donald Trump downplayed criticism of the potential creation of a 50-year mortgage product, saying it would help more Americans afford monthly payments on homes. 

James is contesting charges brought earlier this month by a prosecutor whom President Donald Trump abruptly installed after her predecessor resigned under pressure.

A cohort of more than 100 Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging the administration to protect and fund a community lending program that has been gutted despite its legal mandate and Bessent's backing.

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August D.C. Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce.

A federal judge in San Francisco ordered a temporary halt to reduction in force orders issued by the Office of Management and Budget during the government shutdown, while OMB Director Russell Vought has said he expects to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers.

Federal Reserve Governor Stephan Miran said the economic standoff with China could increase market volatility, further necessitating the central bank to move its policy stance to neutral.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced job openings for attorney-advisors to represent the agency in defensive and appellate litigation.

James was charged with one count of alleged bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. The indictment made public on Thursday follows allegations from Trump administration officials that James engaged in mortgage fraud. 

A series of social media posts, from the US president over the weekend and then from the FHFA director and real estate scion Pulte on Wednesday, are helping put an S&P gauge of builders on track for a four-day losing streak.

Top Democratic lawmakers are asking the full appeals court to hear a case about the Trump administration's efforts to fire employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked bank regulators to give banks the supervisory clearance to extend lines of credit and modify loan terms for federal employees furloughed after the government shut down last week.

The first government shutdown since 2019 will slow flood insurance originations and new Small Business Administration loans, though self-funded banking regulators will continue operating as usual.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would defer President Donald Trump's request for a stay until after oral arguments scheduled for January 2026, allowing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain on the board at least until then.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said despite the near term cloudiness to economic projections, he does expect inflation to resume its downward trajectory next year and reach the Fed's 2% inflation target in the coming years.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's union is appealing an appellate panel's ruling that allows acting CFPB Director Russell Vought to fire 90% of the bureau's staff.

Legal experts say the outcome of Slaughter v. Trump, which considers Trump's termination of a Federal Trade Commission member, could have profound implications for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's litigation, which in turn could determine the future autonomy of the central bank.

Seven filings were submitted in response to President Donald Trump's request for the Supreme Court to remove barriers from ousting Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook before litigation proceeds. Most filings argued for the Court to deny the president's application.

Prior to this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, many onlookers thought a Trump-aligned and oppositional voting bloc could emerge, complicating the central bank's message. But the quarterly economic projections show that not to be the case.