[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         NOMINATIONS OF BRIAN MONTGOMERY AND JELENA McWILLIAMS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, later today we will 
vote on two more qualified nominees for important positions in the 
Trump administration.
  First comes Brian Montgomery, the President's nominee to serve as 
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and head of the 
Federal Housing Administration. His formidable background includes 
previous service as Federal Housing Commissioner from 2005 to 2009 and 
as the Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. It is no 
wonder that our colleagues on the Banking Committee reported his 
nomination favorably with a bipartisan voice vote. I am glad we can 
vote to confirm him today without any further delay.
  After Mr. Montgomery, we will vote to advance the nomination of 
Jelena McWilliams, whom the President has chosen to chair the FDIC 
Board of Directors. Ms. McWilliams' resume spans the government and the 
private sector. As a lawyer, policy expert, and executive, she has 
studied financial regulations from all angles. She understands the 
FDIC's role in safeguarding Americans' holdings, overseeing the banking 
sector, and reforming inefficient policies that create obstacles for 
families and job creators.
  Ms. McWilliams is especially attentive to the difficulties facing 
smaller community banks. In her testimony before the Banking Committee, 
she explained how government regulations inflict outsized compliance 
costs that can be too much for Main Street lenders to bear.
  She was also examined by our colleagues on the Banking Committee and 
was also reported out by a bipartisan voice vote. I encourage all my 
colleagues to join me in voting to advance her nomination later today.

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