Wyden Statement on Markup of Price & Mnuchin Nominations

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement regarding unanswered questions and misleading statements by two nominees, Congressman Tom Price and Mr. Steven Mnuchin, leading to a delay in their scheduled markup:

“This morning, the Finance Committee was scheduled to vote on two nominees who have misled the public and held back important information about their backgrounds. Until questions are answered, Democrats believe the committee should not move forward with either nomination.

“I asked Congressman Price directly if he got an exclusive discount on stock in an Australian biomedical firm, and he said no. From the committee’s investigation to company documents to the company officials’ own words, the evidence tells a different story. It looks more and more like Congressman Price got special access to a special deal.

“Mr. Mnuchin denied that OneWest Bank under his leadership engaged in robo-signing foreclosure documents, but that is indisputably false. Court documents and testimony show that OneWest employees processed hundreds of documents a week, spending only seconds on each, and they routinely did so without verifying their contents. What OneWest did is the textbook definition of shady robo-signing practices.

“The Finance Committee needs to continue following its bipartisan vetting process that has been upheld for more than 20 years. This is about getting answers to questions, plain and simple. Ethics laws are not optional, and nominees do not have a right to treat disclosure like a shell game.”

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