Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent formal preservation notices to 24 federal agencies and offices directing officials to preserve documents and communications dating back to January 20, 2025, as House Democrats prepare to reclaim the majority in the 120th Congress.

The notices mark an important step in preparing the Committee to conduct rigorous oversight of the Trump Administration's actions affecting the safety, soundness, and security of America's financial system, including the institutions that operate in and depend upon it as well as the government entities that support and defend it.

The notices, sent to 24 federal agencies and offices, are intended to safeguard records relating to the Administration's actions and decisions affecting the nation's financial system and ensure that the Committee is prepared to exercise its full oversight authority under Democratic leadership.

Recipients include: the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Defense Production Act Office, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Minority Business Development Agency, the National Economic Council, the Super Intelligence Task Force, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the U.S. Mint.

Specifically, the preservation notices direct federal agencies to:

• Preserve all responsive records dating back to January 20, 2025, including newly created documents and communications.
  
  
• Prevent the destruction, modification, removal, or transfer of records, including emails, text messages, memoranda, reports, recordings, and other electronic communications.
  
  
• Ensure records remain accessible, including those held by current or former employees, contractors, representatives, or third parties within the agencies' control.
  
  
• Account for missing or unavailable documents, including explanations of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance, destruction, or transfer.
  
  
• Provide written certification by December 11, 2026, confirming compliance with the preservation requirements.
  

The notices represent an early step in Waters' preparations to lead the House Financial Services Committee in the 120th Congress and lay the groundwork for robust oversight of the Trump Administration's actions affecting consumers, financial institutions, housing, and the broader economy.

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