Committee votes on five HUD, Treasury, Commerce, and Ex-Im nominees
The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee met in executive session to vote on five nominations: Benjamin DeMarzo and Craig Trainor to be Assistant Secretaries at HUD, Jovan Jovanovic to be President of the Export-Import Bank, Francis Brooke to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and David Peters to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Chair Scott presided over roll call votes on each nominee after Sen. Warren delivered an opening statement opposing all five. Begins at▶ 0:23:16
• Chair Rick Scott (R-FL)▶ 0:23:16: Called the committee to order▶ 0:23:16, deferred his opening remarks until after voting▶ 0:26:21, and presided over roll call votes on all five nominees, reporting each result and advancing the nominations to the full Senate▶ 0:26:49▶ 0:29:45▶ 0:31:12▶ 0:32:31▶ 0:33:44.
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)▶ 0:23:25: Argued the nominees would worsen problems caused by President Trump's economic policies rather than lower costs▶ 0:23:25; said Craig Trainor has denied the existence of housing discrimination and denied sexual orientation as a protected class in housing▶ 0:23:53; criticized Benjamin DeMarzo for HUD's handling of congressional inquiries▶ 0:24:19; said Francis Brooke would implement a trade agenda that raises housing costs while benefiting the President's donors▶ 0:24:45; said David Peters could not answer basic questions on safeguards against advanced chips reaching China via the UAE▶ 0:25:15; said she could not support Jovan Jovanovic given the administration's tariff policies▶ 0:25:47; stated she would vote no on all nominees▶ 0:26:06.
• Sen. Warren said Craig Trainor, nominated to enforce housing discrimination laws, has denied housing discrimination exists and denied sexual orientation as a protected class, and is being sued by the NAACP and other civil rights groups over ending enforcement at the Department of Education▶ 0:23:53.
• Sen. Warren said David Peters, nominated to enforce export controls, could not answer at his hearing whether robust safeguards are needed to stop the UAE and other countries from passing advanced U.S. chips to China▶ 0:25:15.
• The committee voted to report Benjamin DeMarzo's nomination favorably to the full Senate by roll call▶ 0:26:49.
• Craig Trainor's nomination was reported favorably 13 in favor to 11 opposed▶ 0:29:45.
• Jovan Jovanovic's nomination was reported favorably with the vote recorded as 19 in favor▶ 0:31:12.
• Francis Brooke's nomination was reported favorably 13 in favor to 11 opposed▶ 0:32:31.
• David Peters's nomination was reported favorably 13 in favor to 11 opposed▶ 0:33:44, concluding the executive session▶ 0:33:48.
| Official title | Business meeting to consider the nominations of Benjamin DeMarzo, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, and Craig Trainor, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Jovan Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2029, Francis Brooke, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and David Peters, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. |
| Committee | Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs |
| Chamber / Congress | Senate · 119th Congress |
| Date | 2025-07-23 |
| Type | Meeting |
| Witnesses | (none listed in event metadata) |
| Video | senate-isvp |
| Transcript | 23 caption blocks · 684 words · 0:34:13 runtime |
| Event | Congress.gov 337301 |