WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and First Vice Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) made the following statement today after President-elect Trump nominated Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“The Department of Housing and Urban Development is a vital resource and ally for American homeowners; we can’t afford for it to be run by a secretary as woefully unqualified as Dr. Ben Carson,” Rep. Grijalva said. “Dr. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon – he brings no managerial or policy expertise to a position that will weigh heavily on both. The challenges HUD addresses, from low-income housing to foreclosure relief and much more, have a dramatic impact on people’s lives across the country. Dr. Carson’s nomination raises serious concerns that the services HUD provides will deteriorate under the next administration.”
“Appointing Dr. Ben Carson, someone with no experience in housing or government, is an insult to the tens of millions of families who are able to live in their homes thanks to government guaranteed mortgages, nondiscriminatory rental policies, and affordable rental housing. In fact, it's an insult to anyone who owns a house – or lives in one,” Rep. Ellison said. “We are only 8 years removed from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression - a crisis that led to more than 9 million foreclosures, 12 million lost jobs, and devastation for millions of families and communities. Appointing an unqualified HUD Secretary should alarm mayors and city council members across the country who depend on the Department’s work. It should alarm neighborhoods, towns, and communities that have flourished with HUD’s help. And it should alarm anyone who might ever want to buy, sell, or own a home.”
“The nomination of Dr. Ben Carson for HUD Secretary is baffling,” Rep. Pocan said. “This is a man who signaled that he was unprepared to run a federal agency because he had no government experience. President-elect Trump has once again shown his poor judgment and lack of understanding issues vital to Americans struggling to make ends meet. We need qualified, dedicated people running HUD and taking on complex issues like affordable housing and homelessness, not just supporters of his campaign.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus, with over 70 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and promote civil liberties. The CPC champions progressive policy solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, a $15 national minimum wage, fair trade, gun violence reform, debt-free college, and making the federal government a Model Employer.
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