Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has voiced his support for the nomination of Solomon Greene as a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appointee, despite Greene's controversial stance on defunding law enforcement agencies. In a mid-April nomination hearing, Brown praised Greene's record and qualifications, commending his "breadth of experience and knowledge."
Greene is known for advocating for the reallocation of funding from police departments to other community-based programs that address systemic issues such as poverty, mental health crises, addiction, and homelessness. As part of his efforts to gather support for Greene's nomination in Congress, Sen. Brown submitted letters from 31 different organizations endorsing him.
Among those backing Solomon Greene are reputable institutions like the Urban Institute and prominent figures in housing policy circles such as Green and Margery Austin Turner.
In response to this show of support from diverse groups around the country – including some whose focus is not solely on housing or urban development – there have been concerns raised by organizations representing law enforcement officials.
The National Sheriffs' Association wrote a letter to Sen. Brown during the last congressional term expressing their concern about any proposals aimed at simply "recapturing funding from policing." They argued that reducing resources dedicated to public safety would ultimately harm communities most affected by crime.
Despite these objections from some quarters within law enforcement circles regarding both Solomon Greene's views on defunding police departments and Dr. Lisa Cook’s endorsement of reparations legislation – another nominee supported by Sen. Brown – it remains unclear how much impact these factors will have on either candidate’s confirmation process.
Brown also backed Dr. Lisa Cook recently when she was nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors after giving a presentation supporting legislation that would establish a commission tasked with studying reparations proposals for African Americans affected by slavery in America.
As the confirmation process for both Solomon Greene and Dr. Lisa Cook continues, it's clear that Sen. Sherrod Brown is committed to supporting nominees who he believes can bring about meaningful change in their respective fields while addressing longstanding systemic issues within American society.