Banking Committee Nominations Remain Stalled in Senate

WASHINGTON — Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, ranking member on the Banking Committee, pushed for a vote on six banking panel nominees on the Senate floor Wednesday, though the effort was ultimately defeated.

Brown attempted to approve the nominees via unanimous consent, noting that the Senate has failed to confirm any Banking Committee nominees so far this term. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., objected to each of the names on the chamber floor, ending consideration of the motion.

"I hope my colleagues will join me in pressing for the broad, bipartisan approval of these national and economic security nominees," said Brown, warning that the failure to act on these nominations leaves the government and the country at risk.

The nominees include Adam Szubin to be undersecretary of terrorism and financial crimes at the Treasury Department; Adewale Adeyemo and Amias Moore Gerety to be assistant secretaries at Treasury; Patricia Loui-Schmicker to join the board of the Export-Import Bank; Jay Neal Lerner to be inspector general of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.; and Therese McMillan to be the federal transit administrator.

Senate Democrats on the banking panel wrote to Shelby in July about the lack of movement on nominees under the Banking Committee's jurisdiction this term, but there remains relatively little action to date. The Banking Committee has since held hearings for Szubin, Adeyemo, Gerety and Lerner, but no votes have been taken. A committee vote for Szubin set for early November was postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.

"The Committee will thoroughly vet nominees and consider them at an appropriate time," a banking panel spokeswoman said.

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