The U.S. Senate is expected to consider the confirmation of Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) within the next two weeks; FHFA is the regulator of the government- sponsored housing enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. During his 20 years in Congress and his many years of service on the House Financial Services Committee, Mr. Watt has been a leader on housing issues, working with stakeholders on both sides of the aisle. He is a steadfast supporter of the National Housing Trust Fund.
Mr. Watt’s nomination was voted out of the Senate Banking Committee on July 18. In order for him to be considered by the full Senate, a cloture vote will be needed to guard against a Senate filibuster.
Now is the time to ask your Senators to vote for cloture to make sure Mr. Watt’s nomination can come up for an up/down vote.
Please take time to do these things:
1. Contact your Senators today and tell them that Mr. Watt is a qualified nominee for FHFA director, and that he should be confirmed. Call them now at 202-224-3121. Or, visit www.nlihc.org and enter your zip code in the Contact Congress section on the lower right hand side to find contact information.
2. Recruit other advocates to make the call or send an email to Senate offices.
3. Post the importance of Mr. Watt’s confirmation on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #confirmwatt.
Senators need to know that Mr. Watt’s confirmation is a priority for housing advocates. Let’s capture this opportunity to shape the leadership of housing finance policy! Tell your Senators to vote for cloture and bring this confirmation vote before the full Senate.
Thank you for your work on this crucial issue.
