Patenaude finally confirmed for HUD role

Despite broad industry support, it’s taken months for the Senate to confirm the Trump nominee

Patenaude finally confirmed for HUD role
The Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Pam Patenaude as deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Patenaude, whose nomination to the post garnered wide support from the housing industry, was confirmed by a vote of 80-17, with three abstentions.

“At this moment when so many of our citizens are suffering, Pam will bring strong leadership when we need her most,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said. “Pam’s extensive housing and community development experience will be invaluable as we embark upon the long road to recovery for communities hard-hit by disaster, and I’m grateful the Senate confirmed her nomination.”

Despite Patenaude’s broad industry support, little had been done on her confirmation since her nomination was approved by the Senate Banking Committee in June. Last week, a coalition of nearly 60 industry groups sent a letter urging the Senate to complete the confirmation process. The letter said that filling the empty deputy secretary position “could not be more critical.”

Patenaude is currently serving as president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, an organization dedicated to finding ways to recalibrate federal policy to address affordable housing issues. She’s also served as the director of housing policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center and worked at HUD under President George W. Bush.


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