Court Proceedings Reveal DOGE Member Gavin Kliger Berated Workers Through All-Nighter in Mad Rush to Gut the Consumer Watchdog
April 18, 2025 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — A D.C. federal court judge put a stop to a 36-hour marathon firing session at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) allegedly directed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) member Gavin Kliger. An anonymous CFPB worker, using the pseudonym Alex Doe out of fear of retaliation, submitted a sworn declaration to the court stating:
“DOGE member Gavin Kliger managed the RIF. He kept the team up for 36 hours straight to ensure that the notices would go out yesterday (April 17). Gavin was screaming at people he did not believe were working fast enough to ensure they could go out on this compressed timeline, calling them incompetent.”
This DOGE-led “Reduction in Force” (RIF) plan included firing nearly 90% of the agency’s workforce. The unlawful and unprecedented action comes as Elon Musk continues to build one of the largest financial firms in the world, converting X (formerly Twitter) into a mobile payments giant. Should Musk’s DOGE succeed in dismantling the CFPB, he will have dispatched his primary federal regulator.
In response, SBPC Executive Director Mike Pierce, who served as a senior CFPB official under Presidents Obama and Trump, issued the following statement:
“Today, the courts stood between Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their illegal scheme to turn the CFPB into a hollow shell—because a watchdog that can’t bark is perfect for a billionaire who can’t make an honest buck. And let’s be blunt: Musk is trying to illegally fire the federal employees who would oversee his Twitter/X payments business and already oversee TESLA’s auto lending giant—and who knows what other ventures.
“This chaotic, all-night RIF attempt wasn’t just incompetent and unlawful, it was a confession. Musk knows the CFPB would crack down on his financial schemes, so he’s rushing to gut the agency first. The courts saw through this today, but Trump and Musk will keep trying. They have made it their mission to encourage corporate financial fraud, no matter how many laws they break in the process. It’s obvious why.”
Further Reading
SBPC memo on Musk’s conflict of interest with DOGE and his plan to pivot Twitter/X to a payments company: Twitter/X Payments: Public Corruption Poses Risks for Consumers and Competition
Former senior CFPB officials and SBPC statement on CFPB RIF announcement: Trump Administration Defies Federal Appeals Court, Attempts Illegal Mass Firing at Federal Consumer Watchdog
Current CFPB worker Alex Doe’s sworn declaration on DOGE official Gavin Kliger engineering the illegal CFPB mass firings: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.111.0.pdf
Revolving Door Project’s Dossier on Gavin Kliger, the DOGE official who engineered the illegal CFPB mass firings: DOGE Agent: Gavin Kliger
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About Student Borrower Protection Center
Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) is a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating the burden of student debt for millions of Americans. We engage in advocacy, policymaking, and litigation strategy to rein in industry abuses, protect borrowers’ rights, and advance racial and economic justice.
Learn more at protectborrowers.org or follow SBPC on Twitter @theSBPC.