On October 31, the U.S. Senate voted 56-42 on a procedural motion and blocked the advance of President Obama’s nomination of Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) to serve as FHFA Director. The nomination needed 60 votes to clear the procedural hurdle and advance to a confirmation vote. Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) voted “no” in a move to preserve his procedural options for bringing the nominee to the floor again at a later time.