Defense and Compliance Attorneys
Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has been hired by a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general to lead a new blue-state consumer protection and affordability initiative targeting abusive business practices.
What the new role is
Chopra will head the Consumer Protection and Affordability Working Group, the policy arm of a coalition of Democratic state prosecutors focused on rising living costs and fraud. In this role, he will oversee researchers and policy staff who will craft recommendations for how state attorneys general can use their powers to crack down on abusive conduct by lenders and other companies in their jurisdictions.
Why Chopra and why now
Chopra was dismissed as CFPB director in February 2025 after repeated clashes with the financial industry and a shift in federal policy under President Trump, and blue states are now moving to fill what they see as a federal enforcement gap. During his CFPB tenure, he pushed an aggressive vision of state-level enforcement of federal consumer laws and helped develop a blueprint and legal theories that states can now deploy independently.
Likely focus areas
The working group is expected to look at ways for states to combat unfair fees and lending practices, as well as problems in sectors like health care, technology, and digital finance that affect household affordability. It will likely build on Chopra-era guidance and reports that encouraged “cooperative federalism,” in which state attorneys general step up when federal regulators scale back, especially in blue states with strong consumer protection laws.
Blue-state versus federal approach
With the CFPB expected to narrow its agenda under the Trump administration, Democratic-led states are positioning themselves as primary consumer watchdogs using their own statutes plus remaining federal enforcement authority. Business groups, particularly in finance, have criticized Chopra’s previous approach as regulatory overreach and are likely to scrutinize how far this new blue-state effort pushes state powers.
Snapshot comparison
| Aspect | Chopra at CFPB (past) | Blue-state working group (new) |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional base | Federal consumer agency directing national policy. | Coalition of Democratic state AGs and their policy arm. |
| Primary tools | Federal rulemaking, guidance, and enforcement actions. | State enforcement powers, model policies, and coordinated cases. |
| Political alignment | Operated under Biden, then was removed under Trump. | Centered in blue states reacting to a more deregulatory CFPB. |
| Strategic goal | Expand federal and state authority over consumer finance. | Shift enforcement leadership to states on cost-of-living and abuse issues. |
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