House Selects New Appropriations Committee Chair and THUD Subcommittee Chair
This week, the House Republican Caucus has appointed Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) as the new chair of the full House Appropriations Committee, replacing Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), who stepped down early after announcing she will not seek reelection. Cole, formerly chair of the House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, will be succeeded by Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) in that role. These changes mark a significant shift in leadership for key committees overseeing federal spending, with implications for funding decisions related to transportation, housing, and urban development, including programs under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Senate Banking Committee Hosting Two Housing-related Hearings Next Week
Next week, The Senate Banking Committee will have two hearings next Tuesday and Thursday at 10 AM (EST). Tuesday’s hearing is a subcommittee hearing titled, “Challenges in Preserving the U.S. Housing Stock.” The witnesses will be: Mr. Jesse Ergott, President and CEO, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania; Ms. Robin Davey Wolff, Senior Director, Rural Communities, Enterprise Community Partners; and Mr. Christopher Volzke, Deputy Executive Director, Wyoming Community Development Authority.
Thursday’s hearing is a full committee hearing titled, “Oversight of Federal Housing Regulators.” The witnesses will be: The Honorable Adrianne Todman, Acting Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development; and The Honorable Sandra Thompson, Director, Federal Housing Finance Agency. This is Todman’s first hearing, as Acting HUD Secretary. NAHMA will recap both hearings in next week’s update.
HUD Names Seema Radhakrishnan as Multifamily Housing Midwest Regional Director
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs recently announced, Seema Radhakrishnan, as the Multifamily Midwest Regional Director. According to HUD-MFH, “Seema brings a wealth of expertise, experience, and commitment to our mission that will strengthen HUD’s leadership team. Seema served as an Advisor in Fannie Mae’s ESG – Duty to Serve group. In her role as Advisor, she led Fannie Mae’s Affordable Housing Preservation efforts under the Duty to Serve plan, which includes LIHTC debt, Section 8 debt, RAD, Section 515, State and Local programs, and various outreach and technical assistance objectives. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Seema served in leadership positions at HUD, which included the facilitation of public housing repositioning through the RAD program, involvement in RAD policy, and underwriting FHA multifamily transactions. Before joining HUD, Seema was at the Illinois Housing Development Authority, where she worked on Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocations and affordable housing policy for the state of Illinois. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and twin 13-year-old daughters.”
Andrew Lofton Joins HUD as Northwest Regional Administrator for AK, ID, OR, and WA
HUD recently announced the appointment of Andrew Lofton to serve as Regional Administrator for the Northwest serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. In a press release, HUD states, “As Regional Administrator, Mr. Lofton will serve as HUD’s liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, congressional delegations, stakeholders, and customers. In addition, he will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities and evaluating their efficiency and effectiveness…A lifelong resident of Washington, Mr. Lofton’s career in public service spans nearly 50 years in municipal, state, and local government where he has been led by his passion for helping people. He previously served as the Executive Director for the Seattle Housing Authority where he worked for 17 years, and before that held positions at the City of Seattle ranging from Community Development Block Grant Administrator, Deputy Director of Community Development, Budget Director, and Chief of Operations, and was Deputy Director for Washington State Department of Trade and Economic Development. Mr. Lofton has also held many leadership positions throughout his career including membership on the Board of the Council for Large Public Housing Authorities, National Association Housing and Redevelopment Office (NAHRO), and was a founding member and first Board Chair of the Moving to Work Collaborative.”