Trump nominates Brian Johnson as permanent CFPB director

President Donald Trump has nominated Brian Johnson, a former deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to serve as the agency’s permanent director. The nomination, announced on June 10, sets up a Senate confirmation process that will determine the future of the influential financial watchdog.

If confirmed, Johnson would replace acting Director Russ Vought, who has led the agency since February 2025 and has worked to curtail its activities. Johnson would serve a five-year term at the helm of the CFPB, an agency created after the 2008 financial crisis that has long been a political flashpoint.

Johnson is a familiar figure within the bureau, having served as its deputy director from 2018 to 2020, where he oversaw rulemaking, supervision, and enforcement. During that tenure, he spearheaded the creation of the CFPB's Office of Innovation, a division designed to promote fintech products. After leaving government, Johnson worked as a managing director at the regulatory consultancy Patomak Global Partners and later as a senior executive at Capital One.

His nomination signals a prospective shift in the administration's approach to the agency. While Vought has acted to...