Trump Nominates Hood Again for Seat on NCUA Board
Hood's nomination expired since he wasn't confirmed before the end of the last Congress.
President Trump Wednesday evening re-nominated former NCUA board member Rodney Hood for a new stint on the board.
Trump had nominated Hood, a Republican, for a seat on the board last year, but the nomination expired since he was not confirmed by the end of the last Congress.
Trump nominated Hood, a former vice chairman of the NCUA board, to replace Rick Metsger. Metsger has continued to serve on the board until a successor is confirmed.
The NCUA board has another vacancy: The seat previously held by Debbie Matz has been vacant since she resigned in April 2016.
Under law, only two members of the NCUA board may be members of the president’s political party.
Board Chairman J. Mark McWatters is a Republican, as is Hood. Metsger is a Democrat.
And McWatters’ nomination expires in August. That means Trump will have the opportunity to appoint all three members of the NCUA board.
But it remains unclear how quickly the Senate will consider the Hood nomination. Sources on and off Capitol Hill have indicated that the confirmation would go smoother if Hood were paired with a Democratic nominee.
Trump has not nominated a Democrat yet and did not do so last year.
In addition, it is unclear how quickly the Senate will consider any nominations, as Trump and Congress continue to haggle over spending for a wall along the U.S. southern border.
That stalemate has caused a partial government shutdown.
Hood serves as a corporate responsibility manager for JPMorgan Chase, where he manages national partnerships with groups that work on community development, civil rights and with the disabled community.
He also served as the associate administrator of the Rural Housing Service at the Department of Agriculture. The North Carolina Legislature has elected him to a term as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina College System.
Hood earned a B.A. in business administration, communications and political science from the University of North Carolina.
Credit union trade groups were pleased with the Hood selection.
“During his previous stint on the board, Hood did work to reduce credit unions’ regulatory burden; we hope to see that continue,” said NAFCU President/CEO B. Dan Berger.
Hood was “approachable to stakeholders and demonstrated a thorough understanding of credit unions and the importance of commonsense regulation in his previous terms on the board,” said CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan.