Who Is CFPB Nominee Stuart Levenbach?

Stuart Levenbach is a senior official currently serving as Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy, Science, and Water at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and has an extensive background in natural resource policy and regulatory affairs. On November 19, 2025, President Donald Trump formally nominated Levenbach to be the next Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a position with a five-year term.​

Background and Experience

Levenbach’s career spans leadership roles at the OMB, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Baker Hughes, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He is known for his work on budgetary and regulatory policy across multiple federal offices and has a history of managing initiatives related to environmental science and resource management, but little direct experience in consumer finance.​

Role at the CFPB

Levenbach’s nomination is seen as a technical maneuver to allow Russ Vought, the current Acting Director, to continue leading the agency under federal vacancies rules while Levenbach’s appointment is pending Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Levenbach would assume permanent leadership of the bureau, with responsibility for overseeing enforcement of consumer protection laws and regulating financial products and services for consumers. His leadership could influence regulatory priorities, enforcement practices, and potentially reshape the agency’s focus at a time when the CFPB faces funding challenges and political controversy.​

Key Facts

• Nominated as CFPB Director for a five-year term.​

• Background is in natural resources, energy, and regulatory management, rather than consumer finance.​

• Nomination mainly serves to extend the current Acting Director’s tenure.​

• Senate confirmation will determine whether he becomes permanent director, a process that will likely scrutinize his consumer protection policy stance.​

Levenbach’s appointment is expected to impact how the CFPB navigates regulatory enforcement and consumer protection in the coming years.​