OPM Tells CFPB To Reinstate Fired Veterans, Military Spouses

The Office of Personnel Management told the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reinstate veterans, disabled veterans, and military spouses who were fired, according to an email sent to CFPB employees who saw their terminations reversed.

The CFPB’s Office of Human Capital told the employees laid off earlier this month that they were reinstated under OPM’s policy change, according to the Wednesday email obtained by Bloomberg Law.

The reversal of terminations for disabled and other veterans as well as military spouses at the CFPB comes as the Trump administration prepares for a reduction in force that could see hundreds of thousands of jobs cut across the federal government.

It’s unclear whether the reinstatement policy applies across the federal government or merely at the CFPB. It’s also unclear whether those reinstated would be shielded from forthcoming reductions.

Veterans made up around 30% of the federal workforce at the end of fiscal 2023, according to the Partnership for Public Service.

OPM and the CFPB didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Jobs Restored

CFPB employees with reinstated jobs won’t have a break in service or interruption to their pay and benefits, according to the email.

They’ll also have their termination removed from their records and will get restored access to email and other technology, the email said.

Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought, who also serves as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, stopped all CFPB work after taking over Feb. 7.

CFPB employees who were reinstated will remain on administrative leave along with most other agency staff members while litigation over Vought’s plans continues.

The National Treasury Employees Union claimed in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia that Vought plans to fire up to 95% of the CFPB’s staff. A hearing in that case is scheduled for March 3.

James Plover, a CFPB examiner working out of the agency’s Atlanta regional office, is a veteran who saw his job reinstated Wednesday.

But he says his time with the CFPB may be short.

“Our chapter of NTEU is getting us prepared for the possibility of a RIF since the writing is on the wall, so this victory might be very short lived,” Plover said. “But at least we’ll be treated fairly.”