The email stated that his last day will be Dec. 12. While Salemi did not respond to a message on LinkedIn, a CFPB spokesperson issued a statement to HousingWire.
“Under the leadership of Chopra and Biden, the Enforcement Division was the weaponization arm of the CFPB. No longer is the Enforcement Division one of thuggery and unprofessional behavior,” the statement read. “Under Director Vought’s leadership, Enforcement will now be done respectfully, properly, and professionally. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Salemi.”
Salemi’s concerns mirror those of his predecessor, Cara Petersen, who resigned in June. Petersen’s resignation letter, which was obtained and initially reported on by American Banker, criticized the Trump administration by saying it had “no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way,” according to the report.
Petersen also reportedly wrote in her letter that “I have served every director and acting director in [the] bureau’s history and never before have I seen the ability to perform our core mission so under attack.”
Anonymous CFPB sources told Bloomberg that Salemi, a longtime staff member of the agency, had “expressed his frustration at a Thursday all-hands meeting with the CFPB’s enforcement team” in regard to the CFPB’s work being halted.
After President Donald Trump fired former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in February, Russell Vought was appointed as acting director. Since then, he has suspended most CFPB operations and is fighting in court to dismiss 90% of the agency’s staff.
Vought, who has also paused the agency’s lawsuits and dismissed some enforcement actions, also moved all CFPB litigation to the Department of Justice, citing concerns that the agency could run out of money.
Last month, the administration said the CFPB, which expects to be funded only through the end of 2025, cannot legally request additional money from its main source, the Federal Reserve.
