Al Jazeera America highlighted attempts by Republican members of Congress to use an omnibus spending bill meant to avert a government shutdown as a means of defunding a watchdog government agency dedicated to protecting consumers from fraudulent and predatory lending.

Host John Seigenthaler and correspondent Libby Casey discussed congressional Republican attempts to use spending legislation intended to avoid a federal government shutdown on December 11 as a means of gutting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As Casey reported, Democrats are defending the organization's role in protecting American consumers, and support a spending resolution that does not include so-called “policy riders.” From the December 7 edition of Al Jazeera America's News:

Later in the segment, Seigenthaler was joined by consumer advocate Alexis Goldstein to discuss the important role CFPB plays as “the only federal regulator that is tasked with protecting consumers from financial abuse” :

Conservative politicians are not alone in their attacks on the CFPB. The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal recently attacked what it called an “outrageous regulatory campaign” by the agency which seeks to curb a widespread practice wherein some consumers are charged higher interest rates or assessed extra fees when purchasing automobiles based on their race.