Government watchdogs under the second Trump administration are hobbled.
The seal of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The seal of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Government watchdogs under the second Trump administration are hobbled.
The Federal Trade Commission — charged with enforcing antitrust laws and shielding consumers from deceptive practices — has only two commissioners left after GOP commissioner Melissa Holyoak stepped down on Monday. She's been tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi to be the next interim U.S. attorney for Utah.
Her departure follows President Donald Trump's firing of two Democratic commissioners in the spring. Any new GOP appointee is expected to face dug-in resistance from Democratic senators.
The Trump administration also defunded the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, only to partially reverse itself, The Washington Post reported. The group represents 72 inspectors general across the federal government.
Within days of taking office in January, Trump purged 17 inspectors general from mostly Cabinet-level agencies. Eight of them unsuccessfully sued to try and reclaim their jobs, arguing the president's maneuver was illegal. Thirty-three inspectors general positions across federal agencies remain vacant, according to a CIGIE directory.
The Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president's onslaught against accountability didn't end there. The Trump administration also intends to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the chief U.S. watchdog for consumers. In a court filing, government lawyers said they anticipated funding for the CFPB to dry up in early 2026. The embattled agency has long been a target for Republicans.
Critics argue that Trump's actions to oust inspectors general and diminish the government's regulatory capacity undercuts accountability at the federal level and in the private sector.
"The Trump administration’s firing of inspectors general and defunding of CIGIE, the umbrella organization, runs counter to Trump’s stated desire to make the federal government more efficient," wrote Chris Piper of the Center for Presidential Transition in a blog post.
The White House on Wednesday nominated Stuart Levenbach, one of OMB director Russell Vought's senior aides, to oversee the CFPB while proceeding to close it down. Vought is expected to be the main figure helming the agency as acting director.