Majority Press Releases
Brown Statement on OCC Confirmation Process
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, issued the following statement on the confirmation process of Dr. Saule Omarova, nominee to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC): “I again applaud the Biden Administration for the historic selection of Professor Saule Omarova to lead the OCC. Dr. Omarova is one of the most qualified nominees ever for this job because of her experience as a policymaker, in the private sector… Continue Reading
December 7, 2021
Brown Chairs Nomination Hearing
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing on the nominations of Ms. Parisa Salehi to be Inspector General Export Import Bank; and Mr. Brian Michael Tomney to be Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency:Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:The Committee meets today to consider the nominations of: Parisa Salehi to be Inspector General of … Continue Reading
December 2, 2021
Senate Banking and Housing Committee Votes on Key Biden Administration Nominees
Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, led the Committee in voting on four key Biden Administration nominees:Ms. Alanna McCargo, to be President, Government National Mortgage Association, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Ms. Elizabeth de Leon Bhargava, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentMr. Arun Venkataraman, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United … Continue Reading
November 30, 2021
Brown: Workers Must Reap the Benefits of Our Economic Recovery
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing entitled: “CARES Act Oversight of Treasury and the Federal Reserve: Building a Resilient Economy.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:Last week, many Americans sat down with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. I want to take a moment to thank all the workers who made that possible, many of whom didn… Continue Reading
November 23, 2021
Brown Presses Stablecoin Companies on Risks
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban sent letters to stablecoin issuers and exchanges seeking information on how companies are protecting consumers and investors amid the risks highlighted in the recent report by the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets.Senator Brown emphasized the difficulties consumers and investors may face in understanding how stablecoins work and their potential risks, citing the complicated terms and conditi… Continue Reading
November 22, 2021
Menendez Introduces Bill to Protect Small Businesses, Safeguard Owners from Predatory Lenders
Ahead of Small Business Saturday, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today announced the introduction of legislation to protect small business borrowers from predatory lenders and loans carrying unclear terms and conditions and would secure safeguards already required in consumer lending, through the Truth in Lending Act. The bicameral Small Business Lending Disclosure Act of 2021 would bring enhanced transparency to small commercial loans.“As we prepare to go out into our communities on this ne… Continue Reading
November 22, 2021
Brown Applauds Biden’s Nomination of Governor Lael Brainard for Vice Chair
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, issued the following statement after President Biden announced the nomination of Governor Lael Brainard for Vice Chair:“Dr. Lael Brainard has spent her life fighting for a stronger, fairer economy - one where workers share in the growth and prosperity they create and where their hard work is not gambled away by reckless Wall Street banks. At this moment, when workers are finally starting to se… Continue Reading
November 22, 2021
Brown Statement on the Renomination of Jerome Powell for Fed Chair
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, issued the following statement after President Biden announced the renomination of Jerome Powell for Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors:“Chair Jerome Powell has led our economy through a historic pandemic, and under his and President Biden’s leadership, unemployment has fallen and workers are seeing increased bargaining power. The Federal Reserve must continue to help steer our ec… Continue Reading
November 19, 2021
Hirono, Duckworth Urge Republicans to End Smear Campaign and Confirm Comptroller Nominee Omarova Immediately
Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) urging them to immediately advance the nomination of Professor Saule Omarova to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). President Biden nominated Professor Omarova to serve as Comptroller of the Currency on November 2, 2021. She is widely regarded as a leading expert in her field. … Continue Reading
November 18, 2021
Brown: Saule Omarova is Eminently Qualified to Lead the OCC
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at today’s nomination hearing for Professor Saule Omarova to be Comptroller of the Currency.Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:The Committee meets today to consider the nomination of Saule Omarova to be the Comptroller of the Currency. Congratulations to Professor Omarova for being nominated to this important role. Welcome to … Continue Reading
November 15, 2021
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill with Historic Brown Provisions to Invest in Ohio Communities, Create Good-paying American Jobs Signed Into Law by President Biden
Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden. Brown attended the signing ceremony at the White House. The final bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with several key provisions Brown secured for Ohio communities. Brown fought for these provisions in the version that passed the Senate in August and passed the House of Representatives earlier this month. As the Chairman of a key commi… Continue Reading
November 10, 2021
Schatz, Brown, Senators To CFPB: Fix The Broken Credit Reporting System, Hold Credit Reporting Agencies Accountable
Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to take concrete steps to reform the credit reporting industry. Specifically, the senators urged Director Rohit Chopra to use the CFPB’s existing supervisory, rulemaking, and… Continue Reading
November 10, 2021
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, Sherrod Brown, Jack Reed Seek Answers on Zillow’s Sale of Thousands of Homes to Private Equity Investors
U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), chair of a key Senate housing subcommittee, and Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown (D-OH), are raising concerns about real estate powerhouse Zillow’s reported plans to sell a large portfolio of single-family homes to institutional investors who could turn those properties into rental homes. The move could leave local homebuyers without affordable options, and renters with poorly managed properties. The two Senators were joined by Senator Jack Reed (D… Continue Reading
November 6, 2021
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill with Historic Brown Provisions to Invest in Ohio Communities, Create Good-paying American Jobs Now Headed to the President’s Desk
Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate in August, has now passed the House of Representatives and is headed to the President’s desk. The final bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with several key provisions Brown secured for Ohio communities. As the Chairman of a key committee on infrastructure legislation, Brown delivered big investments for Ohio. The bill will create good-paying jobs building and … Continue Reading
November 4, 2021
Brown, Waters, Maloney Urge Treasury to Take Swift Action to Implement Law Cracking Down on Anonymous Shell Companies
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Rep. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the Treasury Department to move swiftly on implementing the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) to crack down on abuses of anonymous shell companies by traffickers, terrorists, illicit arms d… Continue Reading
November 3, 2021
Senate Banking and Housing Committee Advances Key Biden Administration Nominees
Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, led the Committee in moving forward four Biden Administration nominees:Ms. Reta Jo Lewis, of Georgia, to be President and Chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United StatesThe Honorable Judith Del Zoppo Pryor, of Ohio, to be First Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United StatesMr. Owen Edward Herrnstadt, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the … Continue Reading
November 2, 2021
Brown: Our Economy’s Transition from Libor Must Protect Consumers and Investors
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing entitled “The Libor Transition: Protecting Consumers and Investors.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:I often begin these hearings by taking us back to 2008, and to the years that followed, because we are still living with the fallout - and in the case of the Libor scandal, we are still cleaning up a mess c… Continue Reading
November 1, 2021
Brown: New Financial Technology Must Play By Existing Rules
Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after the Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets released their new report on stablecoins:“Today’s Presidential Working Group report highlights the risks that the rapid growth of stablecoins present to families and the economy. We must work to ensure that any new financial technologies are subject to all of the laws and regulations that protect investors, c… Continue Reading
October 28, 2021
Brown: Director Chopra Will Stand Up for Americans, Usher in a New Era of Consumer Protections
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing entitled “New Era for Consumer Protection: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Semi-Annual Report to Congress.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:Welcome Director Chopra. You are stepping into a vital role for the American people.It’s your job as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (C… Continue Reading
October 27, 2021
Brown, Gillibrand, Merkley, Warnock Introduce Legislation to Stop Fed Officials from Profiting Off of Their Positions
Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Ban Conflicted Trading at the Fed Act, legislation to prohibit Federal Reserve officials from trading individual stocks and ensure Americans can trust that the Federal Reserve is acting in the best interest of all Americans. “Public officials, whether at the Fed or in Congress,… Continue Reading
