Mar 5, 2014 - LATINO LEADERS SEND LETTERS TO U.S. SENATE IN SUPPORT OF LATINO NOMINEES FOR HUD AND SBA

PRESS RELEASE
March 5, 2014

LATINO LEADERS SEND LETTERS TO U.S. SENATE IN SUPPORT OF LATINO NOMINEES FOR HUD AND SBA
NHLA urges YES votes on confirmation for Maria Contreras-Sweet to head SBA and offer support prior to hearing for Gustavo Velasquez to be Assistant Secretary at HUD

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), the coalition of 37 preeminent national Latino organizations, sent letters to United States Senators on behalf of two highly qualified nominees: Maria Contreras-Sweet to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and, Mr. Gustavo Velasquez to be an Assistant Secretary of the United States Department on Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The NHLA letter on behalf of Ms. Contreras-Sweet urges members of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee to vote yes today to move her nomination forward to a floor vote. You can view the letter here.

Upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Contreras-Sweet would fill the final slot in the president’s second term Cabinet and become the highest-ranking Latina in the Obama Administration among eight women and two Latinos who will have Cabinet or Cabinet-level posts this term.

The NHLA letter to Senators Tim Johnson and Mike Crapo, Chair and Ranking Member respectively of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, offers support in advance of Mr. Velasquez’s hearing on his nomination to be Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHE) at HUD. You can view the letter here.

President Obama nominated Mr. Velasquez on January 16, 2014. If confirmed, he would replace John Trasviña, who served as FHEO Assistant Secretary from the beginning of the Obama Administration until June 2013.

Since creating its Latino Appointments Program in January 2013, NHLA has worked tirelessly to increase the representation of Latinos in the Administration, specifically at the Cabinet-level. Its stated goal was to ensure that the second-term Obama Cabinet consisted of at least three Latinos that would best represent the diversity of the nation and, as such, has rigorously advocated on behalf of Contreras-Sweet (who NHLA recommended in a letter to the President on January 16, 2013) to ensure her confirmation to the Cabinet level position.

In addition, NHLA has alerted Senators of its intent to score all votes associated with these nominations in the NHLA Congressional Scorecard on the 113th Congress. The NHLA Congressional Scorecard rates members of Congress on votes taken in the House and Senate that the membership deems important to the social, economic, and political advancement and quality of life of Hispanic Americans.

# # #

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

__________________________________________________________