STATEMENT: Julia Gordon on the Confirmation of Rep. Mel Watt

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA. Julia Gordon, Director of Housing Finance and Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

Rep. Watt’s long-overdue confirmation as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency is great news for our nation’s families and the health of the housing market. Under his leadership, FHFA can increase access to safe and sustainable mortgages, preserve financing for affordable rental housing, and more effectively help troubled borrowers save their homes.

Related resources from CAP and ThinkProgress:

• Why the Nation’s Housing Market Needs Mel Watt by Sarah Edelman and Julia Gordon (CAP)
• Four Reasons Why It Matters Who Runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency by David Sanchez (ThinkProgress)
• As Obama Nominates Key Regulator, Misinformation About Cause Of Housing Crisis Spreads by David Sanchez (ThinkProgress)

To speak with Julia Gordon, contact Katie Peters at [email protected].

###