Senate Banking sets Castro nomination hearing for next Tuesday

The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing next on two of President Obama’s housing nominees.

Next Tuesday, the panel will vet Julian Castro, who is nominated to head up the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Laura Wertheimer to be inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

{mosads}Castro, who is San Antonio’s mayor and a rising star in the Democratic Party, is aiming to fill the spot left vacant by Shaun Donovan who has been tapped to lead the White House’s budget office.

Dave Stevens, head of the Mortgage Bankers Association, sent a letter to several senators on Tuesday urging their committees to expedite his nomination and for the full Senate to confirm him quickly to lead the Office of Management and Budget. 

“Shaun has consistently demonstrated the strong leadership skills and acumen that will be necessary for him to lead OMB,” he wrote to the Senate Budget and Homeland Security committees.

“His successes include leading the administration’s recovery efforts after Super Storm Sandy, and its housing revitalization and borrower assistance programs as coordinated through the Congress.”

Donovan would replace former White House budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who is heading up the Health and Human Services Department.

“He has executed complex budget initiatives at HUD, and has developed strong bipartisan relationships with the Congress that will serve him well in this challenging new role,” Stevens said. 

Votes on the nominations will be announced at a later date.