Published: October 2013

Confirm Rep. Mel Watt as Director of the FHFA

Civil and human rights groups call for Mel Watt confirmation; cite extensive qualifications, congressional experience, and advocacy for homeowners.

In a letter to the Senate, Consumer Action and more than 50 coalition advocates cite Congressman Watts’ 40 years of experience in housing and finance, including 20 years as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, as key qualifications for his confirmation of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The groups also highlight his advocacy for struggling homeowners. As the letter states, “Rep. Watt was one of the first Members of Congress to speak out against the predatory mortgage lending practices that characterized the boom in subprime lending,  and that eventually contributed to widespread economic devastation. Rep. Watt rightly led the push for legislation that would have required safety, soundness, and fairness to prevail over the blind rush for short-term profits.”

Lead Organization

The Leadership Conference

Other Organizations

Action for the Common Good | AFL-CIO | African American Ministers In Action | Alliance for a Just Society | Alliance for Justice | American Association for Justice | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) | Americans for Financial Reform | Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC | Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law | Campaign for a Fair Settlement | The Center for APA Women | Center for Global Policy Solutions | Center for Responsible Lending | Coalition on Human Needs | Communications Workers of America | Community Action Partnership | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Consumers Union | CourageCampaign.org | Demos | Home Defenders League | International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) | Japanese American Citizens League | Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | NAACP | NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. | National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Association of Neighborhoods | National Association of Social Workers | National Center for Lesbian Rights | National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development | National Coalition for the Homeless | National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) | National Council of Jewish Women | National Council of La Raza (NCLR) | National Education Association | National Fair Housing Alliance | National Health Care for the Homeless Council | National Low Income Housing Coalition | National People's Action | National Urban League | New Bottom Line | Opportunity Agenda | People For the American Way | PICO National Network | Poverty & Race Research Action Council | Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. | Public Citizen | United for a Fair Economy (UFE) | Woodstock Institute

More Information

For more information, please visit The Leadership Conference's website.

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Confirm Rep. Mel Watt as Director of the FHFA   (Confirm_Rep._Mel_Watt_2013.pdf)