(The Center Square) – South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott has called on the Biden administration to cease new rulemaking and withdraw several pending agency nominations.
Scott, ranking member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in the U.S. Senate, will become the chairman when the chamber takes oaths in January for the 119th Congress. He’s also the unchallenged choice – Wednesday’s vote was 53-0 – to lead campaign efforts in the 2026 midterms as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The request to withdraw nominations comes as the committee considers several candidates for leadership roles in federal housing and financial agencies.
“On November 6th, Americans across the country rejected your administration’s radical economic agenda and delivered President Trump and the incoming Republican Congress a clear mandate to usher in a new era of government,” stated Scott in his letter to President Joe Biden. “Given this mandate, it is incumbent upon you and your administration to ensure that President Trump can implement the agenda the American people voted for by allowing him to take office on January 20th with a fresh slate.”
Scott has raised concerns about the qualifications and policy stances of certain nominees, suggesting their confirmation could potentially limit bipartisan collaboration on economic issues.
Christy Goldsmith Romero is the nominee to be chairwoman and Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., more colloquially known as the FDIC; and Caroline Crenshaw is the nominee to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Kristin Johnson follows these nominations as the nominee for the position of assistant secretary of the Treasury and Gordon Ito as the nominee to be a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
“As the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, I call on the agencies overseen by the committee to cease all rulemaking, including the finalization of any pending or proposed regulations or guidance, and to comply with federal record retention laws and preserve all agency documents, records, and communications,” Scott said in a release.
The senator says reducing federal regulatory barriers have contributed to rising housing costs and inflation and need to be reduced.
“I subsequently demand that all pending nominations within the committee’s purview be withdrawn,” he said. “I will not vote for, or advance, any nominees put forth in front of the committee by your administration. Next Congress I look forward to confirming President Trump’s nominees who will bring about economic opportunity for all Americans.”
Scott introduced the ROAD to Housing Act in September, comprehensive legislation he said is “to reverse decades of failed housing policies” and proposes reforms to increase the housing supply and streamline federal programs while encouraging local solutions.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its October Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, measured by the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
The CPI report shows 2.6% in October, and highlighted that much of the increase was driven by increased rent costs, up 0.4%, a 0.2% jump since September.
