On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, President Trump nominated Brian Johnson, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) official, to serve as the agency's new director. Johnson previously held senior leadership roles at the CFPB from December 2017 to March 2020, including serving as Deputy Director under Kathy Kraninger. Johnson also has experience in consumer financial services law, financial regulation, and administrative law, having served as:
Russel Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, has served as the CFPB's acting director for the past 16 months. Under Vought's direction, most of the bureau's operations, enforcement, and regulatory activities have been significantly scaled back.
Vought’s authority to serve as Acting Director is expected to expire around August 1, 2026. The Trump administration initially nominated Jonathan McKernan for CFPB Director but withdrew the nomination after McKernan was nominated for another role. Subsequently, Stuart Levenbach was nominated. When the Senate returned Levenbach’s nomination to the President on January 3, 2026, it marked what many believe to be the final 210-day acting service period for Vought under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA).
In the meantime, Johnson’s nomination will go to the Senate Banking Committee. If Johnson is nominated, he will be expected to “continue the CFPB wind down and de-weaponization that acting director Vought has been leading for the last year and a half,” according to a CFPB spokesperson.
Congress established the CFPB following the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent recession. It was intended to serve as an independent regulator with extensive enforcement powers over consumer financial products and services.