Majority Press Releases

October 20, 2021

Brown Calls On Newly-confirmed CFPB Director Chopra To Review The Tenant Screening Industry

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to Rohit Chopra, the newly-confirmed Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), urging him to review the tenant screening industry and protect renters. In April, Chair Brown wrote to several tenant screening companies about the impact of inaccuracies in their screening reports and scores, which can lock tenants out of the housing market and exacerbate raci… Continue Reading


October 19, 2021

Schatz, Brown, Senators To Zuckerberg: Facebook Cannot Be Trusted To Manage Cryptocurrency, Stop Launch Of Diem, Novi Immediately

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 Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) voiced their opposition to Facebook’s revived effort to launch a cryptocurrency (“Diem”) and digital wallet (“Novi”). In light of yet another scandal involving Facebook’s failure to protect its users, the senators urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to immediately dis… Continue Reading


October 19, 2021

Brown: Robust, Effective Sanctions Policies Will Protect U.S. National Security

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 International Policy Update: The Treasury Department’s Sanctions Policy Review and Other Issues.Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:Today we welcome Deputy Secretary Adeyemo to the Committee for an update on international policy issues.Sanctions policy is an area where we have done important, biparti… Continue Reading


October 13, 2021

Brown to Powell: No More Giveaways to Wall Street

Today U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell urging the Fed to take no further action deregulating the banking industry until the President has announced his nominees for upcoming Board terms.“When Vice Chair Quarles was confirmed to his position, banking lobbyists cheered. Not only did he immediately set out a plan to shift post-crisis rules to benefitting industry interes… Continue Reading


October 7, 2021

Brown: These Nominees Will Strengthen National Security and Expand Housing Opportunities Across the Country

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 Matthew Axelrod, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce; Alanna McCargo, to be President, Government National Mortgage Association, Department of Housing and Urban Development; James Arthur Jemison II, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Mark Colón, to be an Assistant Secretary of… Continue Reading


October 6, 2021

Brown Blasts Ranking Member Toomey For Red Scare Attacks On Saule Omarova

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement blasting Ranking Member Toomey for his baseless accusations against Saule Omarova, nominee to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). “Before today, I thought, red scare McCarthyism was rightly relegated to the dustbin of history. Any American citizen who fled communist repression - whether it be FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams or OCC nom… Continue Reading


October 5, 2021

Brown: We Must Send Humanitarian Aid to the Afghan People – While Ensuring Funds Don’t Fall Into Taliban Hands

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 “Afghanistan’s Future: Assessing the National Security, Humanitarian and Economic Implications of the Taliban Takeover.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:In August, we finally ended twenty years of war in Afghanistan. Almost 125,000 people were airlifted out of the country in a few short weeks, bec… Continue Reading


October 5, 2021

Senate Banking and Housing Committee Votes on Key Biden Administration Nominees

WASHINGTON, D.C. - 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 nine key Biden Administration nominees:Mr. Brian Nelson, of California, to be Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, U.S. Department of Treasury;Ms. Elizabeth Rosenberg, of Vermont, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, U.S. Department of Treasury;Ms. Alexia Marie Gabrielle Latortue, of the District of Col… Continue Reading


October 4, 2021

Brown Statement on the Pandora Papers

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement on the newly released Pandora Papers.“The revelations in the massive Pandora Papers leaks reveal once again the extraordinary lengths to which billionaires, oligarchs, kleptocrats, and other bad actors will go to hide their wealth, evade taxes and accountability, and launder dirty money,” said Brown. “It’s why I worked with my Republican colleagues to e… Continue Reading


September 30, 2021

Brown Statement on Rohit Chopra’s Confirmation

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement after Rohit Chopra was confirmed as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB):“The CFPB will have a leader who is ready to stand up to the biggest banks and the most powerful corporations to protect families, service members, students, and the elderly,” said Brown. “Congratulations to Mr. Chopra. I applaud my colleagues for coming toge… Continue Reading


September 30, 2021

Brown Opening Statement at 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 nominations to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM).Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:The Committee meets today to consider the nominations of: Todd Harper to be Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration;Judith Pryor to be First Vice President of … Continue Reading


September 30, 2021

Senator Reverend Warnock Introduces Legislation to Support First-Generation Home Buyers, Pushes for Inclusion in Build Back Better Economic Package

Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced new legislation to help millions access the benefits of homeownership and provide a pathway to financial security and housing stability across the country. The Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2021 would provide federal grants, administered through local entities, to aid first-generation homebuyers with qualifying expenses toward purchasing their first home—including downpayment costs, closing costs, and costs to reduce the rates of … Continue Reading


September 28, 2021

Brown to Powell, Yellen: We Must All Continue to Support the Real Economy and Its Workers

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 the Treasury and Federal Reserve: Supporting an Equitable Pandemic Recovery.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:We all remember the dark days of 2008, and the painful years that followed. Secretary Yellen and Chair Powell, you both helped us deal with the aftermath in your ro… Continue Reading


September 23, 2021

Brown Statement on the Historic Selection of Saule Omarova to Lead the OCC

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement after President Biden announced the nomination of Saule Omarova to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). If confirmed, Omarova would be the first woman, and the first person of color to lead the agency in its 158-year history.“Saule Omarova has spent her career working with both Republicans and Democrats on systemic financial s… Continue Reading


September 22, 2021

Warren, Brown, Smith, and Van Hollen Request Information from SPAC Creators Amid “Astonishing” Reports of Abuse and Market Dysfunction

Text of Letters (PDF)United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent letters to six creators of prominent Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs, publicly traded shell companies that raise money to buy private companies and take them public. Their letters raise concerns about abuses by the creators and operators of SPACs, including reports that insiders are taking advantage of legislative and regulatory g… Continue Reading


September 22, 2021

Brown: Rohit Chopra Is One Step Closer to Confirmation

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement after Rohit Chopra, nominee for Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), was successfully discharged from the Committee. His nomination will next be considered for final confirmation by the Senate.“Americans need someone at the helm of the CFPB who is ready to stand up to the biggest banks and the most powerful corporations in order … Continue Reading


September 21, 2021

Brown Blasts Ranking Member Toomey’s Letter on Transit Funding, Calls for Greater Investment to Address Our Nation’s Housing Crisis

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - released the following statement in response to a letter from Ranking Member Toomey regarding new transit and housing funding in the House reconciliation bill.“The House reconciliation bill would - for the first time ever - allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Transit Administration to pool resources and work together to help solve the nation’s housing c… Continue Reading


September 21, 2021

Cortez Masto Introduces Bill to Incentivize Whistleblowers to Report Consumer Fraud to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced legislation to authorize the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to reward whistleblowers who report wrongdoing to the CFPB with financial compensation. Whistleblower statutes protect people from unfair practices, fraud, and abuse. The bill is cosponsored by Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (… Continue Reading


September 21, 2021

Brown: These Nominees Are Prepared to Protect U.S. Interests at Home and Abroad

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 Alan Estevez, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security; Thea Kendler, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce; Alexia Latortue, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury; and Graham Steele, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:T… Continue Reading


September 14, 2021

Brown Statement on Biden Admin’s Pause of Trump-era Restrictions on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - issued the following statement after the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of Treasury’s release of letter agreements to suspend and review restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the GSEs) business activities. The Trump Administration announced the restrictions in January 2021.“In January, the Trump Administration rushed through haphazard changes impacti… Continue Reading

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