The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has directed hundreds of employees who live outside the Washington area to relocate to the agency’s new headquarters or face losing their jobs, a move that could significantly reduce the bureau’s workforce.
Acting Director Russell Vought notified employees in a memorandum Tuesday that approximately 450 remote workers must commit to relocating to Washington by July 14. Employees who agree to the move are scheduled to begin reporting to the bureau’s new headquarters September 6.
According to the directive, employees who decline to relocate or fail to respond by the deadline will be separated from the agency.
The CFPB’s new headquarters, located at 445 12th St. SW in Washington, previously housed the Federal Communications Commission and currently houses the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The facility has space for about 550 employees, roughly half of the bureau’s current workforce of approximately 1,100.
The bureau’s employee union characterized the relocation order as a de facto workforce reduction, arguing the requirement is likely to prompt many employees to resign rather than move to Washington.
A limited number of employees appear to have been exempted from the relocation requirement, though the agency has not publicly explained the exemptions.
The CFPB has not publicly commented on the relocation notices.