[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 144 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6227-S6228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          COLORETTI NOMINATION

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I continue my objection to consideration 
of the nomination of Nani Coloretti to be the Deputy Secretary of the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  In keeping with my efforts to end secret holds, I have been very open 
about the reason I put a hold on this nomination. The Obama 
administration isn't giving me the same consideration.
  In May, I found out about questionable hiring practices at the 
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN. FinCEN is an 
agency within the Treasury Department that collects and analyzes 
financial reports for law enforcement agencies to use in their money 
laundering investigations.
  FinCEN has been hiring additional personnel to beef up its 
enforcement division. The problem occurred when the agency posted the 
job requirements but then disqualified candidates for a criterion that 
was never in the original job posting: a law degree.
  This is illegal under Federal hiring guidelines.
  I also learned that FinCEN rejected qualified veterans who applied 
for the positions. Veterans' preference doesn't guarantee veterans a 
job but it does give them extra consideration for jobs for which they 
are qualified.
  The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is significantly higher 
than

[[Page S6228]]

the rate for the general population. These men and women are extremely 
capable. They have an array of job skills to offer in the workplace.
  It is inexcusable for FinCEN, or any other Federal agency, to reject 
qualified veterans who faithfully served our country.
  The Office of Personnel Management already determined that the FinCEN 
hiring practices were illegal and referred the case to both the U.S. 
Office of Special Counsel and the Treasury Department's Inspector 
General. The investigations need to cover whether Treasury Department 
officials knew about the hiring problems and did nothing until OPM 
forced their hand. And if FinCEN tried to game the system to 
shortchange our Nation's veterans Congress needs to know. In addition, 
whoever is responsible must be held accountable.
  To find out what happened, I requested all emails sent between the 
Treasury Department and FinCEN on this matter.
  As the Treasury Assistant Secretary for Management, Ms. Coloretti 
oversees the Treasury's human resources department and may have known 
about the illegal hiring practices, or was at least in a position to 
know. If she did, she certainly shouldn't be rewarded with a promotion. 
However, regardless of her involvement, the Treasury Department needs 
to come clean.
  As I said earlier, I have requested emails from the Treasury 
Department to help me get to the bottom of this. So far, I have 
received four emails.
  Instead of open transparency, the Obama administration is once again 
obstructing access to the information I need to conduct proper 
congressional oversight.
  The Treasury Department tried to convince me that no other relevant 
emails exist but I am not convinced. Their search was limited to only 
the 8 months when the vacancy announcements were open. This excluded 
any email communications that took place in preparation for posting the 
announcements or during 2014 when problems with the announcements were 
found. That is unacceptable. So I will continue my objection to 
consideration of Ms. Coloretti's nomination.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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