Grieving Husband Joins Court Battle to Save CFPB from DOGE Firings

In the middle of political turmoil and sweeping federal job cuts, a personal story of grief and justice is unfolding — one that puts a human face on the chaos sparked by the Trump administration’s DOGE federal firings.

Ted Steege, 82, is not a typical courtroom figure. But following the March passing of his wife, Eva Steege, he stepped into a high-stakes legal battle to prevent the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — the very agency that was about to help them recover $15,000 they never should have paid on a decades-old debt.

Now, Ted is fighting not only for that refund, but for thousands of federal workers and vulnerable Americans who depend on the bureau’s services.

A Dream, a Debt, and a Promise

Eva, a retired Lutheran pastor, had pursued her calling later in life, selling their home and taking on $43,000 in debt to attend seminary. Years later, still believing they owed $17,000, the Steeges turned to the CFPB for help. The bureau’s staffers discovered they had actually overpaid — and were entitled to a $15,000 refund.

Hope was on the horizon. The couple was set to meet with CFPB officials on February 10. That very morning, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order that shut the agency down.

“An email came that said, sorry we have different directives. We can’t meet with you,” Ted told CBS News.

Fighting for More Than Just a Refund

After Eva’s death, Ted joined a lawsuit that has since led to a temporary court-ordered block of the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate nearly 90% of the CFPB workforce — roughly 1,500 employees.

The court filings revealed troubling details about the pace and pressure of the mass firings, including sworn statements from staff who said they were forced to write firing notices for 36 hours straight. A 25-year-old DOGE official, Gavin Kliger, with no prior federal experience, allegedly led the effort, reportedly yelling at staffers and calling them “incompetent” for not moving quickly enough.

A Bureau Under Fire

The administration defends the cuts as a way to eliminate “vast waste” and “realign the agency with Administration policy.” But former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, who was ousted earlier this year, pushed back.

“This is a ‘defund the police’ approach to regulating Wall Street,” Chopra said. “If these cuts go through, the CFPB will no longer be able to function.”

Chopra, appointed to the FTC by Trump during his first term, warned that the agency’s ability to protect borrowers from predatory lending is on the line.

The Human Cost of Policy

To Ted Steege, this isn’t about politics — it’s about justice. For him and Eva, the CFPB offered not only financial clarity but a chance to improve their family’s future.

“She definitely wanted to have that refund money to be part of our estate and make things better for our children and grandchildren,” he said.

Now, Ted continues to press for that refund — and for the survival of a consumer watchdog that thousands rely on every day.

The ongoing legal fight over the DOGE federal firings isn’t just about policy or bureaucracy. It’s about people like Ted and Eva Steege — who placed their trust in a system meant to protect them, only to be left in limbo by the very government that promised accountability.

As the courts deliberate, one man’s personal loss is turning into a public stand — for transparency, justice, and the power of everyday citizens to push back when government overreach goes too far.