A full federal appeals court is exploring the Trump administration’s efforts to fire most employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia appeared skeptical of White House claims that federal courts do not have the power to block the government from firing 90% of workers at the consumer financial watchdog. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric McArthur told the full bench of 11 judges that a specialized labor panel known as the Merit Systems Protection Board was the place for workers to challenge their firings and acknowledged that the administration did not have the power to shut the CFPB down entirely because Congress mandated that it exist.
