US Coins

Senate confirms Ryder as US Mint Director

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Mar 25, 2018, 5 AM

Now awaiting his swearing in as the 39th U.S. Mint director, David J. Ryder, as the 34th director in the early 1990s, was a frequent attendee at coin shows.

Coin World file image.

David J. Ryder’s nomination to become the 39th director of the United States Mint received final approval by unanimous consent from the full Senate March 21.

The bureau has a Mint director at the helm for the first time since Edmund Moy resigned in January 2011. Neither of President Barack Obama’s nominees for Mint director, Bibiana Boerio or Matthew Rhett Jeppson, ever received a full vote on their nominations by the Senate.

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A definitive date for Ryder to officially take office has not been set.

“I’m not sure at this point when my first day will be, but I’m told it should take between two to four weeks to finish the onboarding process” Ryder told Coin World March 22. “There are many important issues facing the Mint that I will need to address. One issue I’m particularly interested in is counterfeiting. I’ll be keen to understand the various issues from the U.S. Mint’s perspective, as well as other interested parties within the industry.”

Ryder, who served as the 34th United States Mint director in the early 1990s under a recess appointment from President George H.W. Bush, was originally nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Oct. 2, 2017, with the nomination received Oct. 5 by the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

Ryder appeared before the committee during a public hearing Oct. 24. Ryder’s nomination was favorably reported out of the committee on Nov. 1, but subsequently was snagged when holds were placed on the nomination from two different senators for separate issues unrelated to the nomination.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., placed a temporary hold Dec. 20 on the nomination during the period of debate over tax cut legislation. Paul’s hold was quickly removed. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, placed a hold on Ryder’s nomination Dec. 20 over being disgruntled with the Treasury Department for not responding appropriately and in a timely fashion to questions on unrelated Treasury matters. Grassley’s hold was lifted Feb. 12, 2018.

Ryder’s nomination sat on the Senate’s Executive Calendar until the March 21 confirmation vote.

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Ryder’s nomination was among 75 nominees whose nominations were returned to President Trump on Jan. 3, 2018, after not coming up for a full Senate vote in 2017. On Jan. 8, Ryder’s renomination was announced and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. The renomination was reported favorably out of the committee on Jan. 17.

Since Ryder’s stint as the 34th Mint director, he has spent the past 25 years in the private sector in global anti-counterfeiting research and solutions for coins and paper money.

“We welcome the news that the U.S. Senate has confirmed President Trump’s nominee, David J. Ryder, as the 39th director of the United States Mint,” said Philip N. Diehl, chairman of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, and Ryder’s successor as the 35th Mint director.

“It’s hard to imagine a better qualified appointee. David has served at the Mint before, he knows Washington well, and he brings to the job more than 20 years of experience in the anti-counterfeiting business. We need his leadership at the U.S. Mint as we confront the growing threat coin counterfeiting poses to the nation.”