President-elect Donald Trump's HUD nominee Scott Turner said in his opening statement at Thursday's hearing that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is “failing its most basic mission.”
“While I sit before you today as a candidate to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, members, deep down, this opportunity is very personal to me,” Turner began, adding that Richardson He spoke a little to the members about his background growing up in the United States. , Texas, “and before that, in Plano, Texas” with his parents.
“I worked as a dishwasher at Spring Creek Barbecue, and that's one of my claims to fame. Early in my childhood, my family was broken up by divorce and then we moved into a blended family. I love my mother, I love my father, and I love all of my siblings. “Many people would say that going through a divorce puts them at a disadvantage,” he told lawmakers, adding that he overcame “extreme adversity against the status quo of going to college and graduating.” .
“Despite being drafted in the seventh round (last round for those who don't know) of the NFL draft, I was fortunate to go on to a successful career in the National Football League. I served as a member of the Texas State Legislature, which was a great honor for me and why. I worked to advance the Opportunity Zones initiative at the House of Representatives, and I sit before you today, humbled by the call to serve our country. ” he continued, acknowledging the countless Americans who have similarly overcome adversity in life.
“I share my story because I think it’s important for you to know who I am, and because I think it’s important for you to know who I am, These are not just things that my family and I have heard or read. “I have many years of experience, and I believe that perspective, if approved by this committee, will be of great benefit to HUD as I assume leadership,” he said, defining HUD's mission as “a powerful “to produce strong human resources.'' We build sustainable communities and support quality, affordable housing for our nation's most vulnerable. ”
“But right now as we sit here, we have a housing crisis in this country. We have Americans and their families struggling every day. We have a homelessness crisis in our country. ” he said.
Ultimately, Turner said, HUD “has failed in its most basic mission, and that has to end at that point.” “On one night in January 2024, 770,000 Americans became homeless. More than 770,000 people, many of them families, were homeless,” he said in a Dec. 27 report. quoted.
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“We can't survive as a country on this. We're not building enough homes. We need millions of homes: multi-family homes, single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums, manufacturing, housing. Housing of all kinds. Our country needs housing for individuals and families to have a roof over their heads and call home,” he said, adding that HUD employees need to return to their offices and work. Ta.
Turner added: “Right now we're not just talking about fixing what's broken, we're talking about continuing and expanding the policies of the first Trump administration.”
In his own mind, Trump announcement In November, Turner described his accomplishments as the founding executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC) as “helping lead an unprecedented effort to transform our nation's most distressed communities.” ” he praised.
“These efforts, in collaboration with former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott's leadership, which oversees 16 federal agencies that implemented more than 200 policy actions that fostered economic development. “Opportunity Zones have received over $50 billion in private investment,'' he added.
