Pam Patenaude’s day on Capitol Hill is nigh upon us.
Patenaude, the Trump administration’s choice to serve as the deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Tuesday for her confirmation hearing.
Patenaude’s confirmation hearing, along with the confirmation hearing of Kevin Hassett, selected to be the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, will begin Tuesday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m.
Back in November, rumors began circulating that the Trump administration was considering Patenaude, who currently serves as the president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, to serve as the HUD secretary.
That position went to Ben Carson, but the Trump administration selected Patenaude, who previously served as HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development under President George W. Bush, to serve as HUD deputy secretary instead.
As HousingWire noted when the White House announced Patenaude’s nomination, Patenaude was featured on the cover of HousingWire Magazine last year, and previously recognized as one of HousingWire Magazine’s Women of Influence in 2013 – an honor noted in the official White House statement about Patenaude.
Here’s the White House description of Patenaude:
Ms. Patenaude is currently the President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for America’s Families. Previously, she served as Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission. Ms. Patenaude earned her B.S. from Saint Anselm College and her Master of Science Community Economic Development degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Her awards include: HousingWire 2013 Woman of Influence and the Saint Anselm College Alumni Award of Merit 2006.
And as deputy secretary, Patenaude would hold the true position of power at HUD, as the deputy secretary handles most of the day-to-day operations, while the HUD secretary is the public face of the department.
Praise for Patenaude came in fast and furious after her nomination was announced.
Many of the biggest trade groups in the housing industry, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Home Builders, commended the Trump administration for its choice and recommended that the Senate approve Patenaude for the position.
NAR reiterated that support in a letter sent last week to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
“Ms. Patenaude’s familiarity with the policy arena and with housing specifically makes her an outstanding choice for this position. Her years of public service, both at HUD and in the nonprofit sector have shown her dedication to the housing industry and her vast knowledge that will serve us all well at HUD,” NAR President William Brown said in the letter.
“She has consistently engaged in the issues and is willing to work in a bipartisan fashion to find solutions to our nation’s housing problem,” Brown continued.
“NAR asks for your swift confirmation of Pam Patenaude as Deputy Secretary of HUD, and looks forward to working with her to obtain decent, safe, affordable housing for all our citizens,” Brown said, adding that NAR “looks forward to working with her to obtain decent, safe, affordable housing for all our citizens.”
