Despite the vocal concerns of Elon Musk and Donald Trump regarding federal employees allegedly doing nothing but collecting paychecks, it appears that significant efforts are being made to prevent individuals who are eager to work from performing their duties. As part of the ongoing legal filings and testimonies in a case that could determine the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), agency employees claim that they are currently being restricted from working, and their requests to continue their roles as consumer watchdogs have been ignored by leadership.

Understanding the current state of the CFPB is a complex issue, yet its underlying intention is straightforward. The complexity arises from conflicting orders and legal obligations that have put the agency in limbo, while the simple aspect is the goal to permanently shut down the agency. In fact, on Monday, District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson stated that it seems officials are attempting to ensure the agency is “choked out of existence” before the case can be fully heard.

The case in question is the source of much uncertainty. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents CFPB employees, filed a lawsuit to prevent the agency’s shutdown. This followed an order on February 10 from acting CFPB Director Russell Vought to halt agency activity, requiring all business to be approved by legal counsel and instructing employees to “stand down from performing any work task.” This is occurring at a time when Elon Musk is emphasizing the need for federal employees to be productive, requesting they submit emails listing their accomplishments.

From this, it is clear that the expectation is for employees to be prevented from doing their jobs. Trump’s administration has attempted to argue otherwise in court, with agency Chief Operating Officer Adam Martinez submitting a declaration stating that staff has been allowed to continue performing statutorily required duties.

However, the staff claims this has not been their experience. CFPB employees have offered sworn statements that they have been told not to work and have been informed by senior staff that most of them will eventually be let go, with the CFPB existing “in name only.” This seems plausible, given Elon Musk’s tweet “CFPB RIP” on the day Vought was appointed acting head.

Matthew Pfaff, CFPB Chief of Staff for the Office of Consumer Response, has also spoken out in support of agency employees. In his statement to the court, Pfaff said that despite Martinez’s claims, the CFPB’s work is not being done. Pfaff stated that consumer complaints against banks and financial entities are not being monitored or investigated, and no one at the agency has been able to carry out their work since the original shutdown notice on February 10. Pfaff wrote, “There is simply no one at the CFPB to help” consumers, which is the agency’s primary purpose.

According to Pfaff, he and multiple others within the agency have requested guidance on “key statutory work” and authorization to perform statutorily authorized work, all of which have been ignored. Judge Jackson, assessing these claims, stated, “We can’t have edicts issued with people’s fingers crossed behind their backs,” essentially accusing Martinez and Vought of intentionally misleading everyone about the agency’s situation.

In summary, CFPB workers are eager to do their job, while CFPB leadership, under the influence of Trump and Musk, is working to prevent that from happening. A court date has been set for next Monday, at which Martinez will be required to testify. At this point, it remains to be seen whether anything will be left to protect once this is all resolved.