Senate confirms Steven Mnuchin for Treasury as critics voice their opposition to the ‘Foreclosure King’
The U.S. Senate remained divided down party lines over the confirmation of Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary Monday night. The Senate voted 53-47, with all Republicans voting for him and all Democrats voting against, except Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
President Trump said that with his new treasury secretary, “our nation’s financial system is truly in great hands.”
“He’ll fight for middle-class tax reductions, financial reforms that open lending and create millions of new jobs and fiercely defend American tax dollars and our financial security,” the president said. “And he will also defend manufacturing jobs from those who cheat, steal and rob us blind.”
Most Democrats voiced opposition the Wall Street banker, even calling him the “Foreclosure King.”
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“While millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes during the Great Recession, Steven Mnuchin was making a fortune foreclosing on desperate families,” said California Rep. Barbara Lee in a statement. “Under his leadership, OneWest Bank foreclosed on more than 36,000 homeowners. Mnuchin’s tenure at the bank is an indication of how he will lead the Department of Treasury – advancing the interests of Wall Street, not the American people.
“Our nation deserves better than a Treasury Secretary chosen by Wall Street. I urge the Senate to reject Steven Mnuchin’s nomination.”
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee ran ads against Mnuchin, particularly in Nevada, where the residents were hit hard by the housing crisis, targeting Sen. Dean Heller, who goes for re-election in 2018.
“Voters will remember that Senate Republicans and Donald Trump just confirmed a former Goldman Sachs banker known as the ‘Foreclosure King’ to run our economy as Treasury Secretary. To create a political price, we will be running TV ads holding accountable the most vulnerable Senate Republican on the ballot in 2018 who just failed to represent one of the hardest hit foreclosure states — Dean Heller in Nevada.”
Mnuchin is a former Goldman Sachs employee who also helmed One West bank, known to be in the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis and served as Trump’s finance director during his successful presidential campaign.
photo/ donkeyhotey
