▶ 0:23:25Chair Scott: Now that we have a quorum, the committee will come to order and we begin the executive session. We gather first to adopt the committee rules and procedures as well as subcommittee membership and jurisdiction. Second, we will then turn to the nomination of scott turner to be the secretary of the department of housing and urban development. Ranking member warren and I will each make a statement before we vote.
▶ 0:23:53Chair Scott: I recognize myself or opening statement at that time and then I will go to her for her comments. With that I moved to approve and blocked by voice vote the committee's rules and procedures and subcommittee membership and jurisdiction that have been agreed to with ranking member warren. There is no further discussion. All in favor say aye. Those opposed, nay. The ayes have it. The rules are adopted and blocked.
▶ 0:24:22Chair Scott: Ported favorably to the senate floor. I ask unanimous consent that staff be allowed to make technical and conforming changes and that court on will be waived. Any objection? Hearing no objection, so ordered. Now we will move to the consideration of the nominee of Mr. scott turner. I moved to favorably report the nomination of Mr. scott to be secretary of the department of housing and urban development. Opening statement.
▶ 0:24:56Chair Scott: At his inauguration, president trump made a promise to the american people to usher in a new golden era of peace and prosperity. That start with making america's economy work for every day americans. Today is a new day. I look forward to closely partnering with the president to deliver real results for everyday americans by building stronger communities where families can thrive and create a better and brighter future.
▶ 0:25:28Chair Scott: It's time to undo the biden administration's far left policies and burdensome regulations that have but the american dream out of reach for millions of americans. It is time for a blue-collar come back. And the man who will be leading that come back at the department of housing and urban development is scott turner, someone with a remarkable life story and the skill set necessary to enact change.
▶ 0:25:57Chair Scott: Solving the problem you for our country requires grit and determination. Where there is a young man working as a dishwasher at the spring peak barbecue for the man who built a successful nfl career, scott never let his circumstances defined his capability to succeed. He works his hardest every single day to make opportunity a reality.
▶ 0:26:23Chair Scott: We saw that when he was a state legislature in texas and when he was leaving the white house initiative on opportunity zones and economic opportunities. Scott believes in his community and in improving the lives of those living there. For him, it's a calling. And I wholeheartedly agree.
▶ 0:26:44Chair Scott: Hud's mission is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality affordable homes, serving the most vulnerable in our nation. Scott turner's story and perspective are important tools that he brings to the table. Unfortunately, we are facing a housing crisis all across our country.
▶ 0:27:10Chair Scott: Hud is failing at its core mission. Under the biden administration, hud spending has soared but even according to their own surveys, homelessness in the last 12 months is up 18%. Since 2020, up 33%.
▶ 0:27:33Chair Scott: We as a committee in a bipartisan faction can work with hud to tackle some of these lingering stubborn problems facing millions of americans today. It is our opportunity. Since president biden took office, housing prices have soared over 150%. Rent up over 20%.
▶ 0:28:02Chair Scott: Despite all the subsidies, all the trillions of dollars spent, not much has changed. Scott turner believes we need millions more homes of all kinds, single-family homes, apartments, condos, duplexs, and manufacturing housing. And I agree with him. Families need a roof over their head and a place to call home. Scott turner will not just focus on fixing what is broken.
▶ 0:28:33Chair Scott: I know that he will work hard to find innovative solutions and I look forward to working with him on my road to housing legislation and opportunity zones. Under his leadership at the white house opportunity and revitalization council, we saw more than $50 million enter into majority minority communities without gentrifying those communities. Under 5% gentrification.
▶ 0:29:01Chair Scott: Hope for a better future begins for millions of americans with a home. And hud has a critical and crucial role to play. Struggling to pay the rent is not a republican or a democrat issue. Struggling to afford groceries is not a republican or democrat issue. Struggling to keep the lights on is not a republican or democrat issue.
▶ 0:29:33Chair Scott: For the millions of americans who feel forgotten and left behind, you no longer have to carry that burden alone. I urge my republican and democrat colleagues on this committee to advance scott turner's nomination to the senate floor. He is the solution we have been looking forward to usher in a golden era of homeownership. Ranking member.
▶ 0:30:00Sen. Warren: Thank you, Mr. chairman, thank you for rope marks. Mr. chairman, I told you and others in this committee that I am willing and eager to work with you in a bipartisan way and I think that's true for every single democrat on this committee. I think one of the areas where we have a lot of room to work together is on efforts to bring down housing costs for american families.
▶ 0:30:31Sen. Warren: And we started that effort last week when the committee held its confirmation hearing for scott turner, president trumps nominee to head up the department of housing and urban development. I have some concerns about his nomination but I was encouraged that Mr. turner acknowledged that our housing supply crisis, and his commitment to work together to address it. Our housing shortage is the single most important factor driving too high housing prices.
▶ 0:31:05Sen. Warren: As I said in my opening statement last week, we are not building enough housing in this country, and that is one of the core reasons that housing prices are so high. So I came here prepared to be able to vote in favor of his nomination, and I appreciated his willingness to respond to my questions, to meet with me, ready to go. But, Mr. chairman, we are missing one important piece of information from Mr.
▶ 0:31:34Sen. Warren: Turner, and we should not move forward without it. To date, neither you nor I have received Mr. turner's fbi background check or had a chance to review it. Everyone must remember that, if confirmed, Mr. turner will serve as a member of president trump's cabinet and be in the line of presidential succession.
▶ 0:32:01Sen. Warren: There is no reason to anticipate a problem but it would be irresponsible for this committee to vote on a cabinet nominee without his background checked. And it would not be consistent with committee president -- precedent.
▶ 0:32:21Sen. Warren: The committee's practice followed by both democratic and republican chairs is to hold a vote on a nomination only after completion of the fbi background investigation and receipt of a briefing on it. Under chairman brown, nominees received a committee vote only after their background check was complete.
▶ 0:32:45Sen. Warren: We know that just in the past few days, including last night, the armed services committee, ag committee, and the veterans affairs committees have all put off holding hearings, not just final votes, but hearings on nominees because there fbi background checks were not complete. We are not looking for a delay here.
▶ 0:33:10Sen. Warren: As soon and the fbi gets its act together and tells us -- and I understand from the chairman that should be right away. As soon and we have that hearing and can get briefed on it, assuming there are no problems, we are ready to go forward. There are nominees already stacked up on the floor. We are not trying to delay this vote by a single minute.
▶ 0:33:36Sen. Warren: But we are in the minority and we are asking that, for all of us, we have this baseline principle in this committee as evidently it is recognized in other committees, and that is we don't go forward without the fbi background check. I am mystified as to why you would not agree to this delay.
▶ 0:34:01Sen. Warren: It need not be long, it serves both sides of the aisle and the american people are served by knowing that that background check has been complete. Absent this background check, we simply do not have the information that is needed to go forward on this nominee. So I will be voting no.
▶ 0:34:22Sen. Warren: And I hope that with future nominees you will adhere to committee precedent and the commonsense practice and courtesy of ensuring we have the full fbi background check for any nominee before we hold a committee vote.
▶ 0:34:38Chair Scott: Thank you, ranking member warren. I will just say a few things quickly. Number one, our committee does not require an fbi background check. Number two, as ranking member, I never received any information on anyone's background. Three, crapo did not consistently receive information on backgrounds. Four, to me, used the background checks to slow the majority.
▶ 0:35:10Chair Scott: I can certainly understand how that can be weaponized. Number five, just today, I believe this morning, energy and natural resources voted out Mr. wright and Mr. burgum without a background check, receiving five votes from democrats to Mr. wright, two for Mr. burgum.
▶ 0:35:34Chair Scott: If we want to in the 120th congress change the rules so they are consistently applied to all those coming to committee, we should do so. But I want to make sure it is clear that we have not had a consistent application of any rules because our committee does not have rules, nor do we have a formal process to receive the background check information by this committee. Mr. kennedy.
▶ 0:36:03Sen. Kennedy: Senator warren's eloquence notwithstanding, I think we should back our chairman. We have never required a background check. We have had a background check. Mr. turner's record demonstrates that he exercises power materially.
▶ 0:36:30Sen. Kennedy: He does not act on the basis of an appetite of ambition. He acts on the basis of knowledge and wisdom. He recognizes we have a housing crisis, and we do. 10 years ago, the average american first-time homebuyer was 28. Today, it is 38.
▶ 0:36:58Sen. Kennedy: Unfortunately, the united states congress and the federal government, though we think we do, do not command the tides of housing. State, and more to the point, local government, controls housing. We persist in giving state and local government mandates, telling them what to do.
▶ 0:37:21Sen. Kennedy: And they either don't do it or find ways not to do it because of their own peculiar and sometimes parochial politics. I will repeat what I said to Mr. turner when he was here. We want more housing starts in america. We should set a reasonable goal for every state. I would want to do that with you. I don't know if that is 3% or 5%.
▶ 0:37:50Sen. Kennedy: We should turn to the states and say we expect you to increase housing starts by 3% per year. If you don't, that is your call, but we will reduce your federal support proportionate to the amount below the 3%. If you will do it, we will increase your federal support by the amount you exceed 3%, and leave it to state and local government on how to do it. Carrot and stick.
▶ 0:38:22Sen. Kennedy: I think Mr. turner understands that. To sum up, I think we ought to back our chairman. I'm not saying that senator warren has any ill motive here but this will delay us. We need to get started. We need housing in america and I think our chairman has laid out solid reasons of wise we should go forward today. >> Mr.
▶ 0:38:45Sen. Kennedy: Chairman, I don't know the actual procedures of the committee, not having been chair or ranking member. I know what other committees where we do require an fbi background check, it is my understanding that the fbi has 14 days to do a background check.
▶ 0:39:08Sen. Kennedy: In many cases, again, who knows what happened during the transition, many of these nominees, the fbi was not even started until early january. I don't know any information on Mr. turner. I don't think it would cause an undue delay. I don't know how many days are left. I agree with a lot of what senator kennedy just said, Mr. chairman, what senator warren said. I am wide open to supporting Mr. turner.
▶ 0:39:39Sen. Kennedy: But I don't think this is an unreasonable request. Again, you have the majority, but I think we are going to miss an opportunity to frankly have a broad bipartisan vote of support for Mr. turner by rushing the committee.
▶ 0:39:54Chair Scott: Thank you.
▶ 0:39:58Sen. Tillis: I am trying to reconcile what I think are two opposing positions between you and senator warren. I am just trying to sort this out. I thought I heard senator warren say that this is a breakup precedent, has not been done this way -- or has been done more consistently in the past.
▶ 0:40:22Sen. Tillis: What I heard you say was that senator crapo and others before you have not necessarily have the fbi report in the banking committee. Which of the two are true, how can we sort through -- I am just trying to get to the facts. Right now we have mutually opposing views.
▶ 0:40:40Chair Scott: I think the easiest way to say it, as the ranking member for the past two years, I was never informed of any background checks whatsoever. Crapo can speak for himself, but at best, it was inconsistent in the application.
▶ 0:40:55Sen. Tillis: Are you departing from a rule or practice by allowing this boat today?
▶ 0:41:00Chair Scott: I am not.
▶ 0:41:02Sen. Tillis: Senator warren, do you believe the chair is departing from past practice by allowing this boat today?
▶ 0:41:08Sen. Warren: I do. Because in every single case, the fbi report was available. It was complete, available. Now, I don't know about the relationship between people -- I was not there. But anyone who requested it, the ranking member or the chair, could see it. But the report was always consistently available.
▶ 0:41:37Sen. Warren: I am told that was not just true when the democrats were in charge, it was also true when republicans were in charge.
▶ 0:41:43Sen. Tillis: Mr. chair, you indicated openness to being clear on the rules going forward. That is something that I wouldn't support. To senator warner's point, because this boat will be going some number of days into probably next week, it seems to be the fbi report would be available to everybody before the actual confirmation vote will occur.
▶ 0:42:10Sen. Tillis: So I would hope that members who are inclined to vote for him today would vote him out of committee with the proviso that if they don't see the report by the time it's on the floor that you simply vote no and then we can have different discussion about practice in the committee. It seems to me you could have access to the information by the time it occurs. If you were satisfied by what Mr.
▶ 0:42:33Sen. Tillis: Turner said today and you think he is qualified for the role, I encourage or support and respect your position that you will not vote favorably on the floor if they fail to produce that information before the vote.
▶ 0:42:43Sen. Warren: Can I not respond? I just want to say it is the job of the committee to say to the rest of the senate, we did our work. We checked our boxes, we had our hearing, we did the questions, we got the answers, we got the background check. We are talking about box checking exercise here.
▶ 0:43:10Sen. Warren: I think this is our job as the committee. Saying that we may change our vote once we get to the floor is not exercising our responsibilities on this panel.
▶ 0:43:23Sen. Tillis: Are you finished? Respectfully, senator warren, I have not heard this is a departure of practice and no evidence has been presented to suggest it was. What I have heard is openness on the part of the chair and I would support a rule going forward that says we will not go out of committee until the fbi report is there. But I think we are creating a precedent, and that is why I'm prepared to vote. I would encourage the administration to get the fbi report before final passage.
▶ 0:43:53Sen. Warren: I would say by way of response, I'm happy to get the evidence that the fbi reports were always there before we vote. We can go back and document that. If that is the wish of the committee, and if the committee wants to hold up a vote until we have that.
▶ 0:44:09Chair Scott: Two things. Number one, the first thing that is important to note is that this committee does not require an fbi background check. Number two, the only two people that have access to the information of the background check is the chairman and vice chairman.
▶ 0:44:33Chair Scott: Therefore, their previous chairman never acknowledged, informed, or told the ranking member there was even a background check to take a look at. That is why the ranking member yesterday did not know about it whatsoever and it is also why perhaps the previous ranking members crapo, toomey did not have access to what she is saying is somehow a consistent practice. It is just not fact. Last, and then we will vote.
▶ 0:45:01Sen. Warner: I would just be curious when the two-week clock started. If the fbi report was due, and I agree, it is the chair and the vice chair, not members, it's appropriate because these reports are quite detailed. But if the clock had started and the fbi is do to get the report in by today or tomorrow, I think we are going to be here tomorrow.
▶ 0:45:32Sen. Warner: I hear your position, senator tillis. I think it is our responsibility. I will vote no and reconsider on the floor. I think we could have had a broader bipartisan vote out of the committee. Particularly if the fbi report is due today or tomorrow. Just want to leave that for the record.
▶ 0:45:52Chair Scott: I want to have a vote. Plenty of time for comments. The clerk will call the vote -- the roll. Mr. tillis. Mr. hagerty.
▶ 0:46:25Chair Scott: Ms. lummis. Mr. ricketts. Mr. banks. Mr. cramer. Mr. marino. Mr. mccormick. Ms. warren >> aye. >> Mr. reed. >> no. >> Mr. van hollen. Ms. cortez masto. >> no. >> Mr. warnock.
▶ 0:46:56Chair Scott: >> no. >> Mr. kim. No. >> Ms. blunt rochester. Ms. also brooks. 13 in favor, 11 opposed.
▶ 0:47:09Chair Scott: The nomination of scott turner is reported favorably to the full senate. Thank you to everyone. Any party comments? Meeting adjourned.