On Obama Nomination of Shaun Donovan as Secretary of HUD

President-elect Obama's selection of Shaun Donovan to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development reaffirms the new Administration's commitment to strengthening home ownership, increasing access to affordable rental housing, curbing predatory lending, improving public housing, and tackling the economic crisis by halting the rise in foreclosures.

As the highly respected and innovative leader of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Shaun Donovan brought together government leaders, housing advocates, and developers to protect and grow the city's stock of affordable housing. His leadership of Mayor Bloomberg's New Housing Marketplace Plan serves as a model of smart and creative management to ensure that working families can find a place to call home even in one of the nation's most expensive housing markets.

With home foreclosures reaching above 2 million this year, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development must again be the nation's leading spokesperson for affordable homeownership and rental housing for working families. With his distinguished performance in both the private sector and public service, and his ability to bring stakeholders together to solve problems and create opportunity, Shaun Donovan is uniquely qualified to lead HUD in these troubled economic times. I look forward to his swift confirmation.