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Senator Chuck Grassley is a busy guy. But he's
been paying close attention to housing of late.
e Iowa Republican
and Chairman of
the Senate Judiciary
Committee usually concentrates the
bulk of his focus on other areas of policy.
Immigration? Check. Medicare? Absolutely.
Executive appointments? at's his bread
and butter. In fact, as chairman of the
committee, if you want to appoint someone
to the federal judiciary, you have to go
through him (we're looking at you, Supreme
Court).
But the senator has got some very tough
questions for the Obama Administration on
the housing policy decisions it's making. He
wants to make sure that they aren't going it
alone.
HUD NOMINATIONS
Grassley is very protective of the Senate's
advice and consent role in the nominations
process.
Recently, he wrote a letter to U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Julián Castro asking a
series of questions regarding the duties of two
individuals recently appointed as "principal
deputy assistant secretary" with HUD.
Grassley was referring to the March 26
appointment of Edward Golding as principal
deputy assistant secretary for the Office of
Housing to essentially fill the duties performed
by the office of FHA Commissioner, and the
February 27 appointment of Lourdes Castro
Ramirez to the position of principal deputy
assistant secretary for the Office of Public and
Indian Housing (PIH) at HUD. Ramirez
will essentially perform the duties of the
assistant secretary for PIH but carries the title
of principal deputy assistant secretary. e
designation essentially shields Golding and
Castro Ramirez from the Senate confirmation
process.
Grassley would not preside over those
hearings were they to happen. at process
would be handled by Senator Richard Shelby's
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs, which has jurisdiction over HUD
appointments. But he still wants to know
why they won't materialize. In his view, it's
important to the integrity of the Senate and the
Constitution.
"e nominations process exists for good
reason," Grassley told DS News. "It gives a
measure of accountability from one co-equal
branch of government to another. Advice and
The Iowa Republican calls out recent housing
moves by the Obama Administration.
CHUCK GRASSLEY
SOUNDS OFF
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