Nearly all federal departments and agencies seem to be under the corporate cost-cutting strategy that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are bringing to the U.S. government: veteran affairs, defense department, department of education to name a few. 

There is one agency that gets less attention, but has a direct impact on Americans’ wallets. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, protects Americans from fraud, scams and unfair business practices.

Earlier this month, over 100 CFPB employees were laid off with many more expected. A federal judge ordered the CFPB to pause its plans for mass layoffs on February 14. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for March 3. 

Angela Hanks is the former Associate Director of External Affairs at the CFPB. She was a Biden-Harris appointee and left the CFPB as part of normal administration transitions. Hanks joins the show to discuss what will happen if the nation’s consumer watchdog agency is gutted by mass layoffs. 

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