The panel briefly moved into closed session before advancing Christopher Phelan and John Crews to the full Senate on 13-11 partisan votes.
Senate Banking Committee lawmakers delayed a public hearing on Thursday to consider three of President Trump’s nominees after Sen. Elizabeth Warren said FBI background checks had raised “significant questions.” Warren, the top Democrat on the panel, said a briefing she and Chair Tim Scott received from the FBI left her seeking more answers and argued colleagues should be fully informed before voting. The committee then shifted into a closed session, first at Warren’s request and later again on a 12-10 vote, with 11 Democrats and Sen. John Kennedy supporting the move. After the private discussions, senators voted to advance Christopher Phelan, nominated to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, and John Crews, nominated to the National Credit Union Administration, to the full Senate floor by 13-11 partisan votes. The committee did not vote on Jeffrey Ledbetter’s nomination to be inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Warren has previously raised concerns about incomplete FBI vetting during confirmations, and the White House said it expects Trump’s nominees to be swiftly confirmed.