CFPB’s New Headquarters Matches Plan To Downsize Agency

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is relocating to a new, smaller headquarters in Washington, D.C., that will accommodate approximately 550 staff members—aligning with the Trump administration’s plan to drastically reduce the agency’s workforce. The CFPB will move to a facility in southwest Washington that also houses the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the coming months.

Headquarters Downsizing

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency terminated the CFPB’s lease on its previous Washington headquarters in February 2026, approximately six years ahead of schedule, transferring the property to the General Services Administration at no cost. This physical downsizing represents a concrete step toward reducing the Bureau’s footprint and underscores the administration’s broader effort to limit the agency’s size and visibility.

Workforce Reduction Plans

The Trump administration has proposed reducing the CFPB’s workforce to 556 positions—less than one-third of the 1,750 employees it had when President Trump began his second term. This represents a scaled-back plan from earlier proposals that would have eliminated up to 90% of the staff. The restructuring would include an 85% reduction in the Division of Supervision, which oversees banks and nonbank financial institutions, and an 80% cut in enforcement staff.

Legal Constraints

Federal courts have repeatedly intervened to prevent mass layoffs without proper authorization, ruling that the administration cannot reduce the agency to a point where it cannot fulfill its statutory responsibilities. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that layoffs may only proceed after a “particularized assessment” confirms that affected employees are not essential for the agency’s congressional mandates. The CFPB currently has approximately 1,174 employees, down from its peak staffing levels.