Business meeting to consider the nominations of Benjamin DeMarzo, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, and Craig Trainor, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Jovan Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2029, Francis Brooke, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and David Peters, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
2025-07-23
Source: Congress.gov
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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So President Trump campaigned on bringing down costs for American families. And right now, that is a big, fat, broken promise that is hanging over Americans' heads. What the American people need, as Trump's economic policies hit, are officials who will not just rubber stamp the president's agenda. But I'm concerned that today's nominees will make the problems worse. Mr. Treanor would be responsible for enforcing the nation's housing anti-discrimination laws. but he has denied the existence of discrimination in housing, refused to acknowledge that sexual orientation is a protected class in housing, is currently upending civil rights enforcement at the Department of Education, where he is being sued by the NAACP and other civil rights groups. I have no faith in Mr. Treanor's ability to fulfill the Fair Housing Office's mission to eliminate housing discretion. This will make high housing costs bite even harder. Mr. DiMarzo wants to become Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. However, HUD continues to subvert congressional inquiries. I appreciate that Mr. DiMarzo has committed to providing timely responses, but I can't give him green light while the Trump administration flagrantly ignores both Congress and the law. Mr. Brooke is auditioning to be a zealous implementer of the President's disastrous trade agenda. If confirmed, he will pursue the same policies that are squeezing middle-class families and raising the cost of housing, while turning a blind eye as the President gives handouts to his donors and his billionaire friends. Mr. Peters would be responsible for enforcing our export controls, a key national security tool that keeps critical technologies out of the hands of our adversaries.
But he is woefully unprepared for this role. During his hearing, he couldn't even answer a basic question about whether we need robust safeguards to prevent the UAE and other countries from simply taking our advanced chips and passing them along to China. No. Finally, I believe that Mr. Yovanovitch supports the mission of XM Bank. If he is confirmed, I hope he will follow through on his commitments to provide transparency in the bank's management and continue monitoring the environmental and social impact from such projects. I cannot support his nomination while President Trump's chaotic tariff wars continue to damage our relationship with trade partners around the world and drive up the cost of living for American families. I will be voting no on these nominees.
Thank you, ma'am. I know that the Republican members are waiting with great anticipation for my opening comments, but I will... defer those comments until after the vote, just in case you all have something else to do besides hear me pontificate. We have enough members to vote, so we shall vote. The first nominee that we will vote on is the nomination of Ben DiMarzio. I move to a roll call vote for Ben DiMarzio to be the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The clerk will call the roll.
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