Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought in response to his March 12 directive ordering CFPB staff to halt all work related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

In the letter, Congresswoman Waters condemns Vought’s orders to stop work involving the collection, analysis, and publication of DEI- related data, calling it a blatant violation of obligations under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the No FEAR Act, and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act. She also raises grave concerns about violations to the CFPB's Collective Bargaining Agreements and Vought’s threats to investigate employees who continue to carry out DEI-related work, despite its clear basis in federal law.

“I write to express my profound concern regarding your March 12th directive instructing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) personnel to cease all work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Your directive not only undermines statutory obligations but also directly conflicts with the foundational principles of fairness and non-discrimination established in federal law,” wrote the Congresswoman. “More troubling is your closing statement that ‘any employee who attempts to continue race based and other DEIA based activities at the CFPB may be referred to for investigation for violation of civil rights laws.’ This constitutes an unmistakable attempt to intimidate employees and deter them from engaging in lawful and congressionally mandated activities. In fact, your directives themselves encroach on civil rights protections and contribute to a hostile and divisive work environment that could expose the Bureau to substantial legal liability.”

Congresswoman Waters concludes by demanding that Vought promptly confirm that this directive does not apply to statutorily mandated DEI-activities, provide clear guidance to CFPB on how they should reconcile conflicting directives, and justify the legal basis for threatening employees who adhere to these mandates. Waters requests a response within five business days.

See the letter HERE.

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