Erin Witte

Economic Liberties Applauds Mamdani Administration for Cracking Down on Junk Fees and Subscription Traps in New York City - Economic Liberties Applauds Mamdani Administration for Cracking Down on Junk... Following a new executive order signed today by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which cracks down on costly subscription traps and junk fees across the economy, the American Economic Liberties Pro...

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's EO cracking down on subscription traps and junk fees is a massive win for New Yorkers.

"With prices top of mind for so many, navigating the economy should not have to feel like a never-ending dance of evading scams and tricks."

www.economicliberties.us/press-releas...

What I always hear: “We can’t afford to pay our workers more than $15 an hour.”

What I never hear: “We can’t afford to pay our CEO millions of dollars a year.”

Funny how that works.

Trump’s CFPB Waves the White Flag on the Military Lending Act to Give MoneyLion a Sweetheart Deal. Why? A guest post by Erin Witte of the Consumer Federation of America.

The CFPB “settled” its case alleging that fintech lender MoneyLion violated the Military Lending Act by telling MoneyLion it can keep violating the Military Lending Act. I have thoughts ⤵️

indebt.substack.com/p/trumps-cfp...

In response to a petition from us and @consumerfed.bsky.social, the FTC is reopening the previously vacated Lina Khan-era Click to Cancel rule.

This is a major step in ending subscription traps and saving consumers time and money.

With surging auto debt and repos across US, car-dependent Miami feels the pain Soaring car prices, predatory loans and stagnant wages are pushing Americans into record levels of auto debt.

The report found that annual car #repossessions and loan default rates are at their highest since the years during and immediately after the #GreatRecession
@erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social
www.miamiherald.com/news/busines...

Congress designed the FTC as an independent commission to resist political pressure. That’s not a bug—it’s a critical feature. SCOTUS must reject Trump’s illegal attempts to undo a century of law and protect the FTC. @consumerfed.bsky.social

Tell your state to end subscription traps (and check out our website!)

An estimated 1.73 million vehicles were repossessed last year, the most since 2009.

Why does it feel like customer service is on the decline? For some companies, bad service is by design.

“It’s #customer disservice at this point,” said @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social, director of consumer protection.
For some #companies, bad service is by design. @marketplace.org

FCC Proposal Could Unleash Unstoppable Robocalls Advocates urge Commission to rethink proposal to delete important protections for consumers and small business owners

“The FCC is obligated by Congress & the American people, to reduce unwanted robocalls and telemarketing,” said Margot Saunders, senior attorney @nclc4consumers.bsky.social “This proposed rulemaking falls woefully short of that obligation." #EndRobocalls #ProtectConsumers www.nclc.org/fcc-proposal...

Governor Newsom signs new laws to help reduce costs for families | Governor of California

#California! Good news for car buyers. @governor.ca.gov just signed the Combating Auto Retail Scams Act, to make buying cars more affordable & less risky. Imagine having 3 days to return a used car for ANY reason, for a refund. Game changer! @consumerfed.bsky.social www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/06/g...

TY @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social @chuckbell.bsky.social @nationalconsumers.bsky.social @nclc4consumers.bsky.social @consumercal.bsky.social @consumerfed.bsky.social @weareunidosus.bsky.social @consumeradvocates.bsky.social for supporting passage of #SB766. @governor.ca.gov pls sign #SB766 into law

California is poised to save car buyers over $234 million and 8.5 million hours by making car dealers tell them the price up front. 🚗

KUDOS to @benallenca.bsky.social, @autosafety4all.bsky.social and @saalevine.bsky.social for getting this to @governor.ca.gov’s desk.

Driven to Default: The Economy-Wide Risks of Rising Auto Loan Delinquencies · Consumer Federation of America Auto finance is at a breaking point, as Americans owe over $1.66 trillion in auto debt. Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends th...

Buying a car should open doors for people, not send them into a debt spiral.

Families are drowning in car debt, the FTC abandoned the CARS rule and the CFPB is pardoning predatory auto lenders.

Check out our new report - Driven to Default. consumerfed.org/reports/driv...

Driving Oversight: Why the CFPB’s Supervision of Auto Finance Matters · Consumer Federation of America Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the CFPB on August 7 seeks to shrink the Bureau’s nonbank larger participant auto lending supervision jurisdiction to as few as five lenders. This co...

Auto related #CFPB complaints are at an all-time high. So why is the #Trump CFPB proposing to reduce the number of supervised #AutoLenders by 90% ?

New blog by @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social

The first attempt by Vought’s CFPB to explain their decision to take $3 billion away from Americans and give it back to lawbreaking corporations is a pitiful one.

Guess they are finally feeling the heat from the constant bad press.

www.usnews.com/banking/arti...

And 14% said they are using buy-now-pay-later to pay for their groceries!

A federal court has blocked the #FTC #ClicktoCancel rule. Consumer advocates like @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social say the policy was meant to prevent manipulative #cancellation processes.

Full Video Here: youtu.be/bKJ6GQi4RFg

Top CEOs now make an average of 285x what workers make, according to a new report from the @aflcio.org.

aflcio.org/paywatch

A court just canceled 'click to cancel.' How the ruling affects you. A federal appeals court blocked a FTC rule that would have forced businesses to make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships.

“The #ClicktoCancel Rule was a straightforward, common-sense approach that gave Americans the power to break up with their #subscriptions," said @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social . The court's decision was "yet another handout to the #corporations. #FTC

Round-trip vs one-way: Which airfare trick really saves you money? | Cruising Altitude Airline pricing can be unpredictable, but here's what to know about one commonly-discussed "hack."

There's a reason why you feel frustrated by buying airline tickets.

“The airline industry is really the pioneer of some of the most ruthless and deceptive pricing practices. It’s not surprising that people feel really powerless and frustrated when they’re purchasing airline tickets.”

Apparently hearing from 16,000 actual people about their subscription traps was NOT sufficient, because the corporations
who profit from subscription traps didn’t get enough chances to say how much they didn’t want to stop subscription trapping.

Airtight American logic from the 8th Circuit.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dismisses $95M overdraft case vs. Navy Federal Credit Union The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, led by President Trump’s administration, has dropped a case against Navy Federal Credit Union.

Folks, Navy Federal Credit Union will no longer have to refund $80M to servicemembers illegally charged overdraft fees after the Trump Admin dismissed a case brought by the CFPB, under the Biden Admin, to protect military members.
apnews.com/article/navy...

Government drops cases against ‘predatory’ financial firms The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped 18 enforcement lawsuits against firms accused of abusive or deceptive tactics.

“These retreats are gifts to predatory lenders and would-be fraudsters,” said @erinwitte-cfa.bsky.social. “They are being told over and over that they can keep on doing what they are doing.” #CFPB @washingtonpost.com

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Funding Cap for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This section cuts $6.4 billion by reducing the CFPB’s maximum funding to 0% of the Federal Reserve's operating expenses, eliminating the agency. (Sec. 30001) Pay and Benefits of Employees of the Federal Reserve System. This section cuts $1.4 billion by reducing the pay of Federal Reserve staff. (Sec. 30002) Financial Research Fund. This section cuts $293 million by reducing the Office of Financial Research funding. (Sec. 30004) Transfer of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. This section cuts $771 million to eliminate the PCAOB and transfers its authority to the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Sec. 30005)

A number of provisions have been thrown out of the Big Beautiful Bill because of violations of the Byrd rule.
This includes pretty much all the Banking Committee provisions, including the defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of Financial Research.
All these are gone:

The correct way to connect the authoritarian presence in LA and the Big Beautiful Bill is that the bill gives the government the resources to do this in dozens of cities at once. So if you don't like what's happening in LA, it's coming to your town if the bill passes.

Public Records Wreckers The consequences of gutting FOIA offices are both obvious and unknowable.

The DOGE-led attacks on the civil service have decimated FOIA offices, severely weakening a key tool that helps the public understand what the federal government is doing.

Most of the Walmart delivery drivers who had to jump through hoops just to get paid were moms with limited income.

Maybe instead of a baby bonus, you could just sue the companies that are stealing wages from moms?

To fund tax cuts for billionaires they are slashing the funding for Wall Street cops to less than half it was when banks destroyed the global economy.

Bookmark these roll call votes for when someone in your family gets ripped off. Or when the next financial crisis hits...

MINUTE ORDER. In light of [105] plaintiffs' motion for an order to show cause as to why defendants have not violated the preliminary injunction in this case, the Court will conduct a hearing on Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM in Courtroom 25A. It is ORDERED that defendants must have a person with personal knowledge of the scope of the Reduction in Force ("RIF") and the decision to implement it, such as the CFPB Chief Operating Officer or the Operations Manager or Chief of the Office of Human Capital, present at the hearing. It is FURTHER ORDERED that by 10:00 AM Friday, April 18, defendants must file with the Court: copies of any letters, memoranda, or emails sent to CFPB staff from Chief Legal Officer Mark Paoletta and/or Acting Director Russell Vought this week; representative samples of any RIF or layoff notices that have been issued or will be issued on April 18; and a list of all of the employees involved and their job titles. The list of employees must be filed under seal to avoid the publication of personal information with a redacted version filed on the public docket; an unredacted copy should be emailed to the Court's Deputy Clerk. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 4/17/25. (DMK)

NEWS: There will be a hearing at 11:00 AM tomorrow on the mass firing at CFPB.
CFPB leadership must present someone who knows why the reduction in force was undertaken, and internal documents must be filed, along with a list of everyone fired.