Trump Fires CFPB Director Rohit Chopra

On February 1, 2025, President Trump fired Rohit Chopra as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ending a tenure marked by aggressive action against junk fees and financial-industry practices the agency deemed abusive. Chopra learned of his removal by email that Saturday morning. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was named acting director, with deputy director Zixta Martinez briefly holding the role in the interim.

The firing, made possible by a 2020 Supreme Court ruling allowing presidents to remove CFPB directors at will, was long anticipated. Banks and financial-technology executives had lobbied for Chopra's removal, and Republicans had criticized his enforcement record for years.

Consumer advocates warned the move would slow or halt pending investigations into predatory lending, deceptive fees and abusive debt collection, shifting the agency's posture away from consumer protection and toward a lighter regulatory touch for financial firms. The firing set the stage for further disputes over the agency's independence in the following weeks.