Consumer Assembly 2025
Fighting for Consumers in an Era of Deregulation
Consumer Assembly 2025 Panel Sessions
Wednesday, June 4 2025
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9:30am
Tech Police Off the Beat? The Real-Life Consequences of a Deregulatory Approach to Federal Tech Policy
In the absence of updated and comprehensive digital regulation, federal agencies like the FTC, CFPB, DOJ, and EEOC have played a critical role in protecting consumers through privacy, security, and AI regulations. However, recent deregulatory actions, staff reductions, and diminished oversight have already led to significant risks. Consumers are now facing increased exposure to privacy violations, data breaches, and unchecked AI practices. This session will highlight the real, tangible consequences of weakening federal protections, from rising instances of data misuse to a lack of accountability in tech companies, and stress the urgent need for stronger policies to safeguard consumers in the digital era.
Moderator
John Davisson, Director of Litigation & Senior Counsel
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)Panelists
Tiffany Brown, Attorney, Technology PolicyVinhcent Le, Vice President of AI Policy
TechEquityEmily Peterson-Cassin, Corporate Power Director
Demand Progress -
10:30am
Networking Break
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10:45am
Dodd-Frank in Distress? How Deregulation is Impacting Consumers’ Mortgage Access and Foreclosure Prevention
The Dodd-Frank Act established critical protections to ensure safe, sustainable mortgages and a fair lending environment. These safeguards—strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic—expanded mortgage origination oversight, improved forbearance options and mortgage servicing standards, and helped millions of homeowners avoid foreclosure. However, recent deregulation, policy shifts, and mass firings at key agencies threaten to erode these protections, making it harder for consumers to access fair mortgage credit and receive the loss mitigation assistance they need during financial hardship. This panel will explore the current landscape of mortgage access and foreclosure prevention, examining how administrative actions and regulatory rollbacks are impacting consumers. Key questions include: How are changes in financial regulation affecting mortgage availability and affordability? What new risks do homeowners face in accessing loss mitigation options? And how can policymakers, advocates, and consumers push back against these threats and protect homeownership access and stability? Join leading experts in consumer finance and housing policy to discuss the challenges ahead and how we can protect homeowners and homebuyers in today’s era of deregulation.
Moderator
Sharon Cornelissen, Director of Housing
Consumer Federation of AmericaPanelists
Kanav Bhagat, President
Housing Risk and Policy AdvisorsAlys Cohen, Senior Attorney
National Consumer Law CenterEthan Saxon, Vice President of Legislative Affairs
Mortgage Bankers Association
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11:45am
Luncheon
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12:30pm
Keynote Address
Speaker
Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-8)
United States House of Representatives
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1:00pm
Laid off: What Happens When the Government Gives Consumer Protection the Pink Slip
When the Administration began its mass layoffs of government employees, national security staff reductions received much of the attention. While some of those jobs were restored, the attack on America’s consumer protection staff has been unrelenting. In this panel, laid off federal workers from some of the nation’s key consumer protection agencies will tell the story of their work, their firing, what life inside government has been like in these turbulent times, and what’s at stake when consumer protection agencies get hollowed out.
Moderator
Erie Meyer
Senior Fellow, Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator
Georgetown Tech & Society Initiative
Former Chief Technologist
Consumer Financial Protection BureauPanelists
Elizabeth Aniskevich
Senior Counsel, Singleton Schreiber
Former Senior Litigation Counsel, Enforcement
Consumer Financial Protection BureauMichael Gaw
Former Assistant Director, Division of Trading and Markets
U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionRachel Gittleman
RIFed Management and Policy Analyst, Ombudsman Office, Federal Student Aid Office
U.S. Department of EducationJessica Rowden
Former Acting Branch Chief, Public Engagement Branch
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
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1:45pm
Networking Break
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2:00pm
Clarifying the Myths About Debanking
The topic of debanking has become a significant subject, with hearings on Capitol Hill and policy statements from banking regulators highlighting concerns that banks might not serve certain industries. Lack of access to bank accounts is not a new problem, but recent narratives on the nature of who is excluded do not square with reality. While a few crypto firms may have been unable to get accounts, millions of regular people are unbanked or underbanked. Many lower-income households have left their banks because of high overdraft fees. Others have denied accounts because of a lack of indicia, presence on screening service, or due to anti-fraud software that cannot discern the difference between a well-intentioned consumer and a fraudster. In this panel, experts will discuss the real issues that shut people out of the banking system.
Moderator
Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
Consumer Federation of AmericaPanelists
Eric Halperin, Senior Fellow
Consumer Federation of AmericaAaron Klein, Miriam K. Carliner Chair and senior fellow in Economic Studies
Brookings InstitutionJason Kratovil, Head of Public Policy and External Affairs
SentiLinkBeverly Brown Ruggia, Financial Justice Organizer
New Jersey Citizen Action
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3:00pm
Beyond Borders: The Impact of Trade Policies on Consumer Protection
From digital trade to de minimis, evolving trade policies are reshaping the consumer landscape. This panel will examine the real-world impact of tariffs, trade rules, and cross-border e-commerce on consumer rights. Experts will discuss the risks and benefits of current policies, explore regulatory gaps, and offer insights into how trade frameworks can be designed to protect consumers.
Moderator
Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety
Consumer Federation of AmericaPanelists
Richard O’Brien, Executive Director, Americas Region
TIC CouncilLori Wallach, Director
ReThink TradeJeff Weiss, Partner
Steptoe LLP
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4:00pm
The Premiums Are Too Damn High: The Fight to Protect Insurance Consumers At the State Level
With the blistering attacks on the federal government’s consumer protection role and with the dismantling of departments responsible for corporate accountability, state action seems as critical as ever. One area for which this is not a change is insurance consumer protection. Long regulated at the state level, insurance advocates have always had to adapt their reform efforts to local conditions, including widely differing state laws governing insurance. In this panel, state-based advocates will talk both about strategies for working on consumer issues at the state level with a particular focus on insurance policy battles going on around the country. The panelists will talk about campaigns to address unfair pricing in auto insurance markets, efforts to respond to the impact of climate change on homeowners insurance, and the politics around state insurance regulation.
Moderator
Herb Weisbaum, Contributing Editor
Checkbook.orgPanelists
Ann Baddour, Director, Fair Financial Services Project
Texas AppleseedCarmen Balber, Executive Director
Consumer WatchdogMarie Grant, Maryland Insurance Commissioner
Maryland Insurance AdministrationAbe Scarr, Director
Illinois PIRG
Thursday, June 5, 2025
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8:30am
Breakfast Dialogue: Mobilizing Data for Advocacy: How to Make an Impact with Numbers
Effectively using numbers, stories, and data are essential if we wish to make an impact with our advocacy. Luckily, the facts are usually on our side. And the stories from impacted local communities and constituents often drive political willpower and policy change by lawmakers. Successful storytelling can counter the narratives spun by anti-consumer organizations and help reset the terms of the debate. Being trustworthy, and having the numbers to show for it, also may help your organization get media attention, elevate issues to public debate, and accomplish advocacy goals. This panel hosts experts on data-driven advocacy and storytelling from the research and communications world, to discuss how to make an impact with numbers.
Moderator
Nicholas Rubando, Communications Manager
Consumer Federation of AmericaPanelists
Omar Baddar, Communications Director
Public CitizenThiya Poongundranar, Data Scientist, Research to Action Lab
Urban InstituteRachel Skelley Siegel
Senior Officer, Housing Policy Initiative
The Pew Charitable Trusts
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9:25am
Welcome
Speaker
Susan Weinstock, CEO
Consumer Federation of America -
9:30am
Why Everyone Will Have to Care About Crypto (even if you never wanted to)
Eventually, crypto will impact every aspect of our consumer financial protection work. Whether you represent consumers, investors, retirement savers, and vulnerable communities; or your work centers on capital markets, banking, insurance and financial stability; or even if you advocate for affordable housing – your work will be affected by the rise of crypto markets. In this session, experts and advocates will break down myths that crypto is too complex to understand and detail how crypto represents the same challenges as any other financial product touted as an “innovation”.
Moderator
Corey Frayer, Director of Investor Protection
Consumer Federation of AmericaPanelists
Hilary J. Allen, Professor of Law
American University Washington College of LawTonantzin Carmona, Fellow
Brookings MetroAmanda Fischer, Policy Director and Chief Operating Officer
Better MarketsChastity Murphy, Visiting Research Fellow
University of Manchester
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10:30am
Networking Break
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10:45am
Turning to the States: Lessons and Takeaways from Tech Policy – Developments in the 2025 Legislative Session
Moderator
Adam Bender, Deputy Managing Editor
Privacy DailyPanelists
Matt Scherer, Senior Policy Counsel for Workers’ Rights and Technology Policy
Center for Democracy & TechnologyHayley Tsukayama, Associate Director of Legislative Activism
Electronic Frontier FoundationCody Venzke, Senior Policy Counsel
American Civil Liberties UnionKara Williams, Law Fellow
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
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11:45am
Keynote Address
Introduction
Cat Farman, Senior Software Developer, CFPB
Chapter President, CFPB Union, NTEU Chapter 335Speaker
Jennifer Bennett, Principal
Gupta Wessler LLP -
12:15pm
Adjourn
Speaker
Janet Domenitz, Executive Director
MASSPIRG
Chair, Consumer Federation of America
