Federal budget allocation of $5 million designated for Russ Vought's security team provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been charged $4.7 million to cover the security detail for Interim Director Russ Vought, according to a memorandum sent by the CFPB's deputy chief financial officer to staff. This charge, which is on a fast track despite the funding not being included in the bureau's fiscal 2025 budget, will cover Vought's security through December, drawing from both fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

The CFPB's budget for fiscal 2025 was $823 million. The $4.7 million charge will have to be shifted to the director's front office to cover the costs, according to the CFPB's CFO's office.

The interagency agreement to pay the costs is being expedited, despite concerns from some quarters. Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, stated that the agency should focus its limited resources on delivering on its mission of preventing unfair financial practices. Greenwald expressed outrage that the White House official determined to eliminate the CFPB is now diverting agency resources to pay for his security detail.

Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the CFPB, has blamed the media for creating an alleged rise in threats against members of the Trump administration. However, Cauley did not respond to questions regarding why the CFPB was footing the bill for Vought's security or whether the bureau's share represented the entirety of the director's security expense.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time a government agency has faced criticism for spending large sums on security for top officials. In 1994, the Government Accountability Office found that 10 cabinet-level departments spent a total of around $2 million annually protecting their top officials. In 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general found that the agency spent $3.5 million on then-Administrator Scott Pruitt's security, an increase that was not justified.

The story has been updated with additional comment. President Trump and Vought have pushed to essentially eliminate CFPB, seeking to lay off nearly the entire staff and prevent it from conducting most investigations. However, since July 23, 2023, the CFPB has covered the security costs for Vought, with a total expenditure of approximately $1.3 million. The federal court has blocked the layoffs, and employees are back at work, though their casework has been significantly diminished.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act lowered the cap for CFPB's funding from 12% of the Federal Reserve's operating expenses to 6.5%. This reduction in funding, coupled with the charge for Vought's security detail, may raise questions about the CFPB's ability to fulfil its mandate effectively.

Cauley stated that OMB and CFPB will do everything they can to ensure the safety of the director and his family. However, the question remains whether these security costs are justified, given the current financial constraints on the CFPB and the ongoing push to diminish the bureau's powers and influence.