On Tuesday evening, a significant number of employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were let go, according to information obtained by WIRED.

These layoffs primarily affected contractors and probationary employees—those who have been with the agency for less than two years. Insiders indicated that the CFPB’s enforcement division experienced substantial cuts, although the exact number of terminations remains unclear.

Affected workers received their termination notices in a chaotic email sent around 9 PM ET on Tuesday. Due to a malfunction in the email system, some employees were incorrectly addressed as [EmployeeFirstName][EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division].

In the notification, acting chief human capital officer Adam Martinez stated, “This is to inform you that I am removing you from your position of [Job Title] and federal service as per the aforementioned references. Unfortunately, the Agency has determined that you are not suited for continued employment due to a mismatch between your skills and the Agency’s current requirements.”

These firings followed a turbulent period at the CFPB. On Friday, staff from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency temporarily took down part of the agency’s homepage after encountering difficulties accessing vital systems. Last week, WIRED reported that three members from DOGE—Gavin Kliger and Nikhil Rajpal among them—were granted permissions to the CFPB’s human resources, procurement, and financial systems. By Friday, these DOGE staffers were given full access to all agency systems, including bank examination and enforcement records, as reported by Bloomberg.

On that same Friday evening, Russell Vought, who has been confirmed as Trump’s new head of the Office of Management and Budget, stepped in as the acting administrator of the CFPB, as noted by The Wall Street Journal. Shortly after, DOGE staff began sending emails to CFPB managers requesting additional access for Kliger to various agency systems, including control for physical access, payroll processing, and website editing capabilities, according to sources.

Just before 10:30 PM ET on Friday, individuals seemingly with administrative access were reported to have logged onto the agency server via Secure Shell (SSH), a protocol for remote computer control. They circumvented the content management system, resulting in a portion of the CFPB homepage displaying a “404: Page not found” error, typical of a non-existent webpage. However, the rest of the site, including industry whistleblower submission forms and consumer complaint features, remained operational.

By 11 PM Friday, the CFPB’s X account was no longer accessible and, soon after, sources noted that DOGE personnel vacated the premises.

CFPB insiders who spoke with WIRED expressed their shock at the behavior of the DOGE employees. “They claimed they would adhere to protocols but consistently failed to do so,” one source remarked, pointing out that the level of access provided to these staff members could potentially allow them to lock others out of the building, disrupt the website, and hinder the bureau’s ability to fulfill its mission.”

Another CFPB source reported observing two young DOGE employees wandering the halls, attempting to open various doors.