Federal government employees tend to donate to the Democratic Party and its candidates. CFPB employees donate to Democratic Party candidates at a higher rate than any other federal agency.
Below are the top 10 federal government agencies in terms of donations to the Democratic Party.
| Agency | Percent Donated to Democrats |
|---|---|
| Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | 97% |
| National Council on Disability | 97% |
| Department of Education | 95% |
| United States Agency for International Development | 93% |
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | 89% |
| United States Postal Service | 87% |
| National Labor Relations Board | 87% |
| Director of National Intelligence | 86% |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 85% |
The CFPB has the authority to regulate nearly every segment of the financial industry in some way, but does not have to ask Congress for funding or prove that it’s achieving its stated goals while maintaining a fiscally responsible budget.
Many Republicans in Congress have sought to impose more accountability and Congressional oversight on the agency. If they had it their way, the agency wouldn’t be able to spend $95 million on a building renovation or nearly half a million on sign language translation for just two employees without justifying that spending to Congress. It therefore makes sense that the agency’s employees mostly donate to the CFPB’s biggest supporters in Congress.
Working for Obama’s presidential campaign is also often a precursor to a high paying job at the CFPB. At least two high-level CFPB officials, Scott Pluta and Chris D’Angelo, served as key members of Obama’s election campaign. Other officials served in the president’s administration (and were paid on the much lower GS scale) before moving over to the high-paying CFPB.