Senate Confirms Scott Turner as HUD Secretary

Scott Turner was confirmed as the Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary on Wednesday.

The Senate voted 55-44 to confirm the appointment of the former NFL player to the top housing position in the land, the Associated Press reported. The vote mostly fell along party lines, though Democrat Sens. John Fetterman and Peter Welch also voted in favor of Donald Trump’s appointee.

The Texan has played a role in both state and national politics, as well as nine seasons in the NFL. He is the only Black member of Trump’s cabinet.

Turner is a protegee of former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and served in the previous Trump administration as head of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, which spearheaded the Opportunity Zone program. Before his stint in the executive branch, Turner served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives.

He arrives to the department at a tumultuous time. Housing affordability is top of mind for many Americans, as many are deterred from the market by high home prices and mortgage rates that have risen substantially in recent years.

“As a country, we are not building enough homes,” Turner said during his confirmation hearing. “We need millions of homes, all kinds of homes — multifamily, single family, duplex, condo, manufacturing housing, you name it — we need housing in our country for individuals and families to have a roof over their head and to call home.”

HUD is responsible for enforcing federal housing laws. Its budget is largely geared towards housing assistance for low-income families, the elderly and disabled people. It also allocates funds towards community development and homelessness programs.

But HUD does not appear to be immune from the greater axe being taken to the federal government by Trump and his top — unelected and unconfirmed — lieutenant, Elon Musk. Trump’s budget requests could cut 15 to 18 percent of HUD’s funding relative to the previous year’s final allocations, HousingWire reported.

— Holden Walter-Warner