Washington, February 14 (RHC)-- The U.S. Senate has voted 53-47 to confirm Steven Mnuchin to be the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department.  Mnuchin is a former Goldman Sachs executive who has faced widespread criticism about his bank, OneWest, which has been called a "foreclosure machine." 

Under Mnuchin’s ownership, the bank foreclosed on 36,000 families, particularly elderly residents trapped in reverse mortgages.  It was also accused of racially discriminatory lending practices. 

Mnuchin is one of at least six of Trump’s top advisers and Cabinet nominees who are tied to Goldman Sachs.  That list also includes National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Trump chief strategist Stephen Bannon, Securities and Exchange Commission chairman nominee Jay Clayton, senior White House adviser Anthony Scaramucci and senior counselor for economic initiatives Dina Habib Powell. 

During his confirmation hearings, Mnuchin also faced criticism for not initially disclosing about $100 million in assets.  Fortune magazine recently reviewed financial disclosures by Mnuchin and reported that he’s as much as 10 times richer than previously thought, worth as much as $400 million.