Senators question CFPB nominee Brian Johnson on Bureau’s future

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Brian Johnson, faced sharp questioning from Democratic senators Thursday over the future of the agency and whether he would resist political pressure in enforcement decisions. Johnson, a former CFPB deputy director who now works for Capital One, appeared before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs alongside nominees for other federal posts. Johnson’s confirmation hearing came as the bureau faces a major restructuring effort under Acting Director Russell Vought, who has called for significantly shrinking the agency and has previously suggested eliminating it. Vought testified before the House Financial Services Committee last week, during which he defended the bureau’s workforce reductions and regulatory rollback. Johnson told senators he does not support dismantling the CFPB and would focus on carrying out the laws Congress assigned to the agency. “The CFPB is a creature of statute,” Johnson said. “Congress has assigned to it important laws to implement and execute, and my intention is to execute the law.” Democrats questioned whether Johnson could lead the bureau independently...