Majority Press Releases
Brown: We Must Bring Equity to America’s Housing System
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 “Home = Life: The State of Housing in America.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:The title of today’s hearing - Home = Life - comes from Matthew Desmond, the author of the book “Evicted.”He scribbled that in the front cover of my copy of the book. And it tells you really all you… Continue Reading
March 15, 2021
Brown, Warren Question Goldman Sach’s Taking Advantage of Weakened Capital Requirements to Pay out Dividends
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.), member of the Senate Banking Committee, today sent a letter to David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, Inc. pressing for answers related to the bank’s support of weakened capital standards.“To our knowledge, Goldman Bank is the only depository institution that opted into these weakened capital requirements whose holding company c… Continue Reading
March 10, 2021
Brown Statement at Executive Session to Vote on Nominees and Subcommittees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, delivered the following remarks at an executive session to vote on Subcommittee Organization and Jurisdiction and the nominations of the Honorable Gary Gensler, to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Honorable Rohit Chopra to be Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB). The Subcommittee Organization was approved, Mr. Ge… Continue Reading
March 10, 2021
Ahead of the Final Confirmation Vote, Brown Again Takes to the Senate Floor in Support of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s Nomination to Lead HUD
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, took to the Senate Floor to urge his colleagues to confirm Congresswoman Marcia Fudge as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).Brown’s remarks on the Senate Floor, as prepared for delivery, are below:Mr./Mdme. President,Today I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting another dedicated and talented public servant, and a great Ohio… Continue Reading
March 9, 2021
Brown Takes to Senate Floor to Urge Colleagues to Support Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s Nomination to Lead HUD
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - took to the Senate Floor to urge his colleagues to confirm Congresswoman Marcia Fudge as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).Video of the remarks can be found here.Brown’s remarks on the Senate Floor, as prepared for delivery, are below:Mr./Mdme. President,Today I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting another dedicated and … Continue Reading
March 9, 2021
Brown: Wall Street Treats the Market Like A Game – A Game They Always Win
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 “Who Wins on Wall Street? GameStop, Robinhood, and the State of Retail Investing.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:Last February, as the world came to the collective realization that we were confronting a global pandemic, the U.S. stock market suffered its fastest drop in histo… Continue Reading
March 6, 2021
BROWN VOTES TO PASS AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN TO GET ALL AMERICANS VACCINATED AND SUPPORT WORKERS, COMMUNITIES & SMALL BUSINESSES
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today voted to pass the American Rescue Plan, which will ramp up vaccine production and distribution to get all Americans vaccinated, and support all Ohioans through the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. The bill includes several key priorities for which Brown has long fought, including a fix for the multiemployer pensions system to ensure thousands of Ohio retirees receive the pension they have earned. “The American R… Continue Reading
March 4, 2021
Brown: Workers Must Be at the Center of Our Economic Recovery
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 “Wall Street vs. Workers: How the Financial System Hurts Workers and Widens the Racial Wealth Gap.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:The economy isn’t physics - it’s not governed by scientific laws outside our control. It’s made up of people making choices about our values and … Continue Reading
March 2, 2021
Brown Urges Senate Colleagues to Confirm Dr. Rouse
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - took to the Senate Floor to urge his colleagues to confirm Dr. Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council Economic Advisors (CEA). Rouse has broad bipartisan support and if confirmed, she will help direct our nation’s economic policy to put Americans back to work, at better jobs with higher wages. Brown’s remarks on the Senate Floor, as prepared for delivery, are … Continue Reading
March 2, 2021
Brown Opening Statement at Nomination Hearing for SEC Chair and CFPB Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB)Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:Today we consider the nominations of two distinguished public servants: Rohit Chopra to serve as Director of the Consumer Financial Protectio… Continue Reading
March 2, 2021
Warren and Brown to Regulators: It Would be a Grave Error to Extend Capital Exemptions for the Nation's Large Banks and Holding Companies
Letter Text (PDF)Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, sent letters on Friday, February 26, 2021, to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Vice Chair Randal Quarles, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Jelena McWilliams, and Acting Comptroller Blake Paulson calling on the regulators to end the temporary reduction in banks' capital require… Continue Reading
March 1, 2021
Chairman Brown and Ranking Member Toomey Announce Banking Subcommittee Assignments for the 117th Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-PA) today announced the panel’s subcommittee assignments for the 117th Congress. “One of the most important things we can do on this committee is to give a voice to all the people who haven’t had enough of one in their government,” said Chairman Brown. “I am confident these subcommittee chairs will get to work and deliver for workers, a… Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Readout of Chairman Brown’s Meeting with Gary Gensler Nominee to be Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - released the following readout after he met with Gary Gensler, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC):“I spoke with Gary Gensler about a broad range of issues affecting working families saving and investing for the future. We discussed the importance of strengthening investor protection and ensuring confidence and faith in our … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Brown: It Is Time to Invest in Workers and Main Street
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 Coronavirus Crisis: Next Steps for Rebuilding Main Street.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:One of the most important things we can do on this committee is give a voice to all the people who haven’t had enough of one in their government.Last week we began by hearing from O… Continue Reading
February 24, 2021
Sens. Menendez, Brown Introduce Housing Counseling Bill to Support Homeowners, Renters Struggling to Stay in Homes Amid Continuing COVID-19 Crisis and Economic Fallout
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D- N.J.), senior member of the Banking Committee, and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chairman of the Banking Committee, today introduced legislation to expand access to housing counseling and assistance services for millions of families still struggling to remain in their homes because of the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 23 million Americans are behind on mortgage … Continue Reading
February 23, 2021
Menendez Introduces Bill to Promote Corporate Diversity
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the highest ranking Latino in Congress, today introduced legislation that would require public companies to disclose information related to the racial, gender, ethnic makeup and veteran status of corporate boards and senior management. The Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2020 addresses shortcomings in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) diversity disclosure rule. Congressman Gregory Meeks (N.Y.-05) is … Continue Reading
February 23, 2021
Brown Opening Statement at Banking Committee Hearing on The Federal Reserve's Semiannual Monetary Policy Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress.”Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:At this Committee’s first hearing, we heard from our witnesses the challenges and struggles Americans have faced over the past year. Anyone who has been doing their jobs has heard these stories… Continue Reading
February 18, 2021
Brown: The Days of a Wall Street First Recovery Are Over
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 Coronavirus Crisis: Paving the Way to An Equitable Recovery’Sen. Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:It should not be a surprise that our first hearing is about the coronavirus—it has affected every American’s health, home, family, workplace, and the entire economy for nearly th… Continue Reading
February 16, 2021
Brown Applauds Federal Agencies’ Expansion, Extension of COVID-19 Homeowner Relief
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they would extend foreclosure and forbearance protections and improve options available to help borrowers exit forbearance and stay in their homes:“The pandemic isn’t over, and o… Continue Reading
February 12, 2021
Senators Warren, Brown, and Van Hollen Urge SEC to Strengthen and Enforce Insider Trading Rule
Text of Letter (PDF)Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) urging the agency to review and consider reforming policies regarding 10b5-1 plans, which are designed to prevent insider trading. Their letter raises new evidence indicating that executives are abusing these plans to obtain… Continue Reading
