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Senate Banking Committee Advances Four White House Nominations After Partisan Roll Calls
Summary
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs voted to report four presidential nominees favorably to the full Senate after partisan roll calls. Each nomination drew opposition from the committee's ranking member, who said they would vote against all four nominees.
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Feb. 27 reported four of President Trump's nominees favorably to the full Senate after a series of roll-call votes during an executive session.
The committee advanced Ben Hobbs to be Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Ronnie Kurtz to be Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD; Christopher Pickleton (transcript also spells the name "Pinkelton") to be Assistant Secretary for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States at the Treasury Department; and Jonathan Burke to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at Treasury. Each nomination was ordered reported favorably to the Senate floor following committee votes.
The committee opened with an unnamed Ranking Member's prepared statement sharply criticizing the administration's policy agenda and the nominees. The Ranking Member said the administration's proposals would ‘‘kick 15 million people off their health care’’ and singled out a reported $20 billion aid package for Argentina as misguided. The Ranking Member concluded the opening by saying, "I will be voting no on all four of them." The statement is recorded in the hearing transcript and was entered before the roll calls.
The Chair framed the nominations as necessary to strengthen housing, financial-sector oversight and national security. The Chair urged colleagues to advance the nominees so the Senate could consider them on the floor.
Roll-call results recorded in the transcript show the committee approved the nominations by narrow margins. The nomination of Ben Hobbs was reported favorably by a 13–11 vote. The nomination of Ronnie Kurtz was reported favorably by a 13–11 vote. The nomination of Christopher Pickleton/Pinkelton was reported favorably by a 13–11 vote. The nomination of Jonathan Burke was reported favorably by a 15–9 vote. The Chair announced, "The ayes have it," after each reported tally, and the committee ordered each nomination sent to the full Senate.
The transcript includes the roll-call sequence and a mix of in-person and proxy votes; some lines in the transcript are garbled (for example, a number of "by proxy" lines and a few misspellings of member names). The committee recorded the formal outcome for each nomination and then adjourned the executive session; no additional statements were offered after the votes.
The nominations will next proceed to consideration by the full Senate. The executive session concluded with the Chair asking for statements, receiving none, and adjourning.
