Deregulation Nation: Trump’s War on Public Protections
From the CFPB to the EPA, No Agency Is Safe from Trump’s Deregulation Spree
In Donald Trump’s second term, the government isn’t just turning a blind eye to corporate greed—it’s actively empowering it. Through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, federal protections designed to keep Americans safe, healthy, and financially secure are being torn apart with brutal efficiency. This isn’t a case of mere negligence. It’s a coordinated effort to enrich corporate giants and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
Financial Protections Gutted
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), established after the 2008 financial crisis to shield Americans from predatory financial practices, is being systematically dismantled. Under DOGE’s directive, the agency’s leadership has been purged, its workforce gutted, and its most critical protections overturned before they can take effect.
Take, for example, the $5 cap on overdraft fees designed to protect struggling Americans from exploitative banking practices. The GOP-majority Congress is rushing to kill the rule before its implementation on October 1, 2025, while banks and payday lenders cheer from the sidelines. Their political contributions are paying off in real-time, as deregulation ensures their profits keep rolling in. It has passed through the Senate and is now in the House awaiting a vote.
We reported on the gutting of the CFPB in early February. See that article here:
Public Health Deprioritized
The Trump administration’s assault on consumer protections extends to public health. Thousands of essential health information pages, including data on avian flu outbreaks, sexually transmitted infections, and chronic diseases, have been scrubbed from the CDC's website. This isn’t just bureaucratic negligence—it’s intentional obfuscation. The administration is prioritizing political expediency over public welfare by making crucial health information harder to access.
Meanwhile, the FDA has delayed implementing the Food Traceability Rule, which is meant to improve the agency’s response to foodborne illness outbreaks. With scientific guidance being systematically stripped away, the nation’s ability to respond to public health threats is crumbling.
See our reporting on the troubling proposed and confirmed leadership of these agencies here:
Environmental Protections Rolled Back
Under DOGE’s so-called “efficiency” mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been hit with severe budget cuts and program eliminations. Regulations aimed at curbing pollution and regulating harmful chemicals have been weakened or outright dismantled, giving polluters free rein to poison communities.
The rollback of environmental protections disproportionately harms low-income and minority communities, who are most likely to live near industrial polluters. What’s worse, this deregulation spree is being justified under the pretense of boosting economic growth, when all it’s really doing is boosting corporate profits.
We’ve reported on this earlier this month, here:
Food Safety Under Siege
Perhaps the most reckless move is the elimination of two critical food safety advisory committees: the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
These committees were designed to provide scientific guidance on preventing foodborne illnesses and ensuring the safety of meat and poultry. With avian flu outbreaks spreading through wild bird migrations and foodborne illness cases rising dramatically, this decision is pure madness. But for the meat industry and agribusinesses—who are among the GOP’s most generous donors—it’s a golden opportunity to reduce oversight and increase profits.
Read our previous reporting on this issue here:
Workplace Safety Neglected
DOGE’s influence doesn’t stop at financial and food safety. Funding cuts and weakened enforcement standards have crippled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Workers in high-risk industries, including meatpacking, agriculture, and manufacturing, are now more vulnerable than ever.
By slashing workplace safety regulations, the administration is effectively telling companies they can exploit workers without consequence, so long as they continue lining the GOP’s campaign coffers.
We covered this briefly before. Read the article here:
A Clear Pattern: Profit Over People
This isn’t about making government “more efficient.” It’s about removing every protection that stands in the way of corporate profit. The most vulnerable Americans—those living paycheck to paycheck, those working dangerous jobs, those exposed to environmental hazards—are the ones being left to suffer.
What’s Next?
Over the coming weeks, we’ll examine each area of deregulation in more depth: financial protections, public health, environmental safeguards, food safety, and workplace safety. We’ll show you exactly who’s profiting from this deregulatory spree and how they’re getting away with it.
Because if the government won’t protect us, we must defend ourselves.
Stay tuned. This story is just getting started.
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Bibliography:
Politico Staff. “Vought Takes Helm at CFPB After Musk Incursion.” Politico, February 8, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/08/vought-takes-helm-at-cfpb-after-musk-incursion-00203247
Simmons, Andrea. “The Trump Administration Has Stopped Work at the CFPB. Here's What the Agency Does.” NPR, February 10, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/10/nx-s1-5292123/the-trump-administration-has-stopped-work-at-the-cfpb-heres-what-the-agency-does
American Banker Staff. “Senate Votes to Nullify CFPB Overdraft Rule.” American Banker, March 27, 2025. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/senate-votes-to-nullify-cfpb-overdraft-rule
Hamblin, James. “CDC Data Are Disappearing.” The Atlantic, January 2025. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/01/cdc-dei-scientific-data/681531/
Consumer Reports Staff. “FDA Delays Food Traceability Rule Required by Congress to Improve Response to Foodborne Illness Outbreaks.” Consumer Reports, February 2025. https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/fda-delays-the-food-traceability-rule-required-by-congress-to-improve-the-agencys-ability-to-respond-to-foodborne-illness-outbreaks/
Verge Staff. “‘This Man Is Not Our Boss’ - EPA Workers Rally Against DOGE Cuts.” The Verge, March 2025. https://www.theverge.com/news/635710/doge-musk-trump-environmental-protection-agency-epa
AP News Staff. “Trump Environmental Rollbacks Would Boost Pollution and Endanger Lives, Former EPA Heads Say.” AP News, March 2025. https://apnews.com/article/06e86474cd2a56251e1532699f59305d
Reuters Staff. “USDA Eliminates Two Food Safety Advisory Committees, Members Say.” Reuters, March 7, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/usda-eliminates-two-food-safety-advisory-committees-members-say-2025-03-07/
Truthout Staff. “As Trump Attacks Federal Labor Protections, How Can States Protect Workers?” Truthout, March 2025. https://truthout.org/articles/as-trump-attacks-federal-labor-protections-how-can-states-protect-workers/