Main screen. We are senators that he is that videoconference option hit the mute button until it is your turn to ask questions. If there is a Technology Issue we will move to the next senator until the issue is resolved. I remind all senators and the nominees the fiveminute clock still applies. For senators using the video option, youll notice a screen labeled clock showing how much time is remaining at 30 seconds i will tap the gavel to remind them the time is almost expired. To simplify the speaking order we have agreed to go by seniority for this first hybrid meeting. Thank you to those of you who are here today and keeping the capital complex safe and functioning while we honor our constitutional duty. Covid19 has challenged our sense of normalcy and tested every institution of daily life that we know. The crisis has had a major impact on the Economic Health of our country and the major responses been required. Congress and the administration of taken bold, dramatic steps for the economic shock the country is experiencing to provide conditions for a quick and robust economic recovery once restrictions are lifted. That cares act went into effect just over one month ago to put needed cash into hands of American Workers and families providing rapid relief helping to stabilize the markets and the economy and to send a massive new infusion of resources to the front lines of the medical response the banking committees jurisdiction provides 500 billion in emergency relief to provide liquidity with those municipalities related to those losses incurred as a result of coronavirus. This is an important step to supporting the flow of credit in the economy on april 9, 2020 the Federal Reserve board announced a new and expanded set of lending programs two. 3 trillion of loans specifically main Street Lending facility is the components to support a ushaped recovery that reinforces the need to have them up and operating to be as broadly available as businesses as possible title for has robust oversight requirements to ensure the statute is followed to protect against waste fraud and abuse the special Inspector General another new federal acronym will oversee the reporting and requirements of the law and it is critical so important work can become one can begin. We will consider the nominations honorable brian miller to be his special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. And mrs. Dana wade of the District Of Columbia to be assistant secretary for housing and federal housing commissioner for the Us Department of housing and urban Development Welcome to both of you congratulations on your nomination this establishes the special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery but then to coordinate audits and investigations of the making a purchase management and sale of loan guarantees and other investments made under any program established under this act and the management by the secretary of any program established under this act. Mr. Millers highly qualified for special Inspector General for the General Services administration for nearly a decade the Senate Confirmed mr. Miller to that position in 2005 via voice vote a position he held for nearly ten years in that role with more than 300 auditors and support staff to conduct nationwide audits and investigations and reported on fraud waste and abuse. He has been outspoken on the need for the Inspector General to have independence and access to information im confident he will carry out those responsibilities diligently and independently and objectively. During the Senate Judiciary hearing mr. Miller noted that to have effective oversight the ig must have independence to have the reviewer audit this includes determining what information is needed and the judgment of the ig conducting the investigation that matters not the judgment of the agency being investigated i encourage my colleagues to approve the nomination to for the oversight role. Dana wade as well prepared to take over the reins at the fha and familiar to the task having operators federal housing commissioner in general Deputy Assistant secretary for the office of housing. Is acting commissioner she directly manage the portfolio singlefamily multi family and healthcare insurance. Such a project for rental assistance the office of manufactured 2400 personal agencywide her extensive record of poor housing policy experience as Senior Advisor to secretary ben Carson Deputy staff director and the Senate Appropriations committee and associate director at the omb with all housing related issues among other agencies great leadership would be required during this unprecedented time on both home and rental markets in the wake of covid19 we have already seen over 10 percent of fha borrowers enter mortgage forbearance insured Healthcare Facilities feel significant strain and many fha assisted landlords struggle to make ends meet while countless renters are unsure where the next rent payment will come from. In the months ahead will be on the frontlines and to have muchneeded liquidity through the Housing Finance system i am confident mrs. Wade will give exactly the type of leadership that is needed during this critical time as commissioner montgomery has done i encourage my colleagues to support the nomination and with deputy secretary so that to tackle the challenges ahead. So thank you for your willingness to serve. Senator brown . Thank you to staff the office of attending physician Recording Studio and this is a team effort to work so hard the last couple of weeks to make hearings as safe as possible including using technology from members to join remotely members senators of both parties and the majority of the committee has decided to join us that way. Thank you to Capital Police and all senate staff and contractors who continue to make sure the Senate Continues to run also the senator and his staff and those in my office and the staff director and cameron to Work Together to coordinate this hearing and for senators to join something that we could all do what we think is best to keep ourselves and people who work here safe. I am concerned however mr. Chairman of the reckless decision of leader Mitch Mcconnell to open the senate to session despite ongoing emergency stayathome orders all of the country including in my state and washington dc and senator van hollands maryland and virginia. Leader mcconnells actions are forcing capital complex workers, contract workers like the cleaning staff who just cleaned this hearing room and will clean again when we are done, Food Service Workers who just serve the Republican Caucus lunch they hear working is going against Public Health authorities advice and they put themselves at risk to come to work. Most of those and like all of us who will probably come to the capital walking from a nearby apartment or condo most of them come by bus and subway and they put themselves at risk creating more anxiety for their families and senator mcconnells decision was reckless and unfair especially to those employees. To compound that the Republican Leaders agenda does not include assistance for the unemployed anything that helps people to stay in their home i appreciated the chairmans comments how many renters are living on the edge. There is no support that we can see from senator mcconnell or to help Community Health services this is the issues the senate should be taking on right now. Want to congratulate the nominees for their willingness to serve this is probably not the confirmation hearing you hope for thank you to your families that i assume are watching from home the Inspector General for Pandemic Response will oversee the cares act and the investment programs designed to stabilize the economy and Small Businesses that are hurting so much during the pandemic is a be critical to restarting the economy to begin the recovery the fha commissioner faces the Affordable Housing crisis made worse by the pandemic the stability and future of millions of families are on the line as congress and the Administration Responded and confirmed the two of you will serve in positions that are crucial to implementing the policy responses to the pandemic. We have oversight of treasury and Federal Reserve rome loan programs thats why fought for the office of the Inspector General for Pandemic ResponseAmerican People need a strong watchdog to make sure the 500 billion of taxpayer money provided under this act and the 4 trillion the Federal Reserve will lend will support workers and communities and businesses because the act grants the treasury secretary and the fed broad discretion of who gets these loans and on what terms the Inspector General will examine the lenders involved and the eligibility of borrowers. We can see how the Small Business loans so far went to Big Companies and important clients of wall street and Community Banks and Credit Unions in our states and the customers on main street and in the underserved communities waited and waited having most of us have served the frustration from restaurants and barbershops that are facing impossible situations spending hours on the phone trying to talk to someone about alone they cant get answers while wellconnected franchises moved to the front of the white person that is unacceptable this can happen to the loans by treasury the should be a lesson to congress as we consider additional recovery measures. In addition to these concerns President Trump has shown outright hostility for anyone trying to hold him accountable to the American People as he has special hostility to the inspectors general i think mr. Miller realizes that the president remove the acting ig from the Defense Department set to become chairman of the Pandemic Response fire the Intelligence Committee ig last friday and replace the acting hhs ig all of these professionals were doing their jobs and they exposed misconduct in the administration. That is what their jobs are. The last 20 years we found only one that was nominated while serving in the White House Counsels Office and then serving under an earlier Administration One for politicizing the office the other for lack of independence not a great track record when the president appoints a lawyer to be the Inspector General to oversee and examines white house behavior. We passed the cares act to support the economy to help main street businesses state and local governments and nonprofits we cant tolerate businesses and workers suffering to protect allies because of corruption and misuse in favoritism if you are confirmed i expect you to follow the letter and the spirit of the law to serve the american peopl people, not President TrumpInspector General you must be willing to stand up to the administration and any other bad actor anything less is unacceptable. Mr. Miller is the only nominee before us today with Pandemic Response in the title fha and office of housing will be on the frontlines of the nations response as well and good times to provide access to affordable homeownership for millions of families when the economy slows they are expected to step up to meet the needs to keep the Mortgage Market working even as others in the market retreat the 2008 financial crisis economist estimated actions prevented an additional 25 percent decline of housing prices and the loss of an additional 3 million jobs as those decisions will determine if families can remain in their homes or if communities foreclosure crisis on top of the Public Health crisis to determine if the burden of the downturn like the 2000 a crisis falls most heavily on communities of color and exacerbates economic inequality or if we want that policy and oversight to have an equitable recovery and keeps Affordable Housing and communities rather than wall street investors. Confirm mrs. Wade would determine if policies and funding are in place to keep the lowest income seniors people with disability and finance with the Healthcare Facilities to keep them safe during this pandemic over the past three years the administration has tried to get funding to housing and Community Development programs to rollback housing protections and other civil rights protections to undermine the safety and tried to make homeownership more expensive and harder to attain i hope the answers today will make it clear that she will fight alongside us to reverse the trend. Mr. Chairman thank you again for being the first in the senate to do a hearing like this. Thank you. I will now administer the oath please stand and raise your right hand do you swear from the testimony about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . I do. I do. You agree to appear testify before any duly constituted committee of the senate . I do. You may sit down. Your written statements will be made a part of the record in their entirety , usually at this point we give you a chance for tradition family we will thank them on your behalf since we are keeping the number of people to a minimum and with that we would like to invite you to proceed please begin. Thank you mr. Chairman thank you to the chairman and Ranking Member for having this hearing and President Trump for nominating me and most of all i want to thank my wife and family for their encouragement to continue Public Service especially in such a demanding job. Thank you. Been fortunate to have a career in Public Service has prepared me well for this position and in the federal government 15 years in the department of justice and ten years as the Senate ConfirmedInspector General of General Services administration serving republican and democrat administrations have also served as an independent corporate monitor in the areas of ethics and compliance government contracts and internal investigations. I am amazed at humbled at the letters ive received in such a short time. In the time of a pandemic and im deeply grateful for all varieties of political stripes former officials with the obama and clinton administrations i would like to thank them and i would like them to know to be the man that they describe in their letters of confirmed i will conduct every audit an investigation with fairness and impartiality i will be vigilant to protect the independence of the office of special Inspector General and i pledge to seek the truth in all matters and to use my authority and resources to uncover fraud waste and abuse thank you mr. Chairman. Members of this committee thank you for inviting me here to testify today as a nominee for federal housing commissioner an assistant secretary for housing at the department of urban development i also want to thank President Trump for the privilege to be nominated for this position. It is truly an honor to be here after serving as a staff member from this committee and then working for senator shelby on banking and Appropriations Committee im extremely grateful for such opportunity for the love and support for my family i regret the both my husband and my daughter as well as my niece could not be here in person but i would like to wish my daughter a happy birthday. We are doing the peoples work under very different circumstances i will commit to doing everything i can as fha commissioner to help the country emerge from the covid19 pandemic healthier stronger and more prosperous economy never has it been more clear than today that head and fha play a Critical Role in this safety net secretary carson and hud is working tirelessly for, one homeowners a