Scott Turner, a former NFL player turned Texas state legislator, said Thursday during his confirmation hearing to be the next Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary his goal will be to help people escape government assistance and become more self-sustainable.
Testifying before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Turner said, if confirmed, his priority would be to advance and expand polices heralded by the incoming Trump administration.
“This moment is not just about fixing what’s broken, it’s about continuing and expanding the policies from the first Trump administration — policies that worked,” Turner said Thursday, adding his “goal” as HUD secretary will be “to help people get off government assistance, become self-sustainable and achieve the American dream.”
Turner previously served as executive director of the Trump administration’s Opportunity and Revitalization Council that established “Opportunity Zones,” an economic revitalization plan aimed at helping low-income, minority communities, which Turner said he hopes to expand. Turner also said he plans to cut red tape and engage with state, local and private partners to lower the cost of housing.
‘CLEAR VISION’: CONSERVATIVES RALLY AROUND HEGSETH AFTER ‘CRUSHING’ FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING
“I believe having that equity in the home should be available to the homeowner because that’s how most families begin to build wealth,” Turner said.
But Democrats at the hearing questioned whether Turner could make housing more affordable.
At one point during the hearing, Turner was asked about his support for work requirements for those receiving Section 8 housing assistance, telling committee members he thought they were a good idea. When Turner tried to explain his reasoning, he was cut off by the senator questioning him and unable to respond.
On whether he would cut funding from certain programs, Turner did not give a concrete answer one way or the other. But he did commit to “maximize” the funding HUD has and will work with committee members to address concerns about funding for certain programs.
“There are many factors to why housing is so expensive now, and I believe first we need to get our own fiscal house in order,” Turner told Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., when she asked Turner if he would support additional federal investment to lower the cost to build more affordable housing.
“I do look forward to looking at the HOME Program and other programs, but there’s record funding from HUD. HUD’s budget is nearly $70 billion at this point, and we’re still not meeting the need that we’re supposed to be meeting.”
Turner said in addition to addressing Democrats’ concerns, he intends to conduct an agency-wide review of current programs to assess what is working and what is not working well and identify any regulatory obstacles affecting the supply of affordable housing.
Turner said a lot of this work will involve engaging with state and local officials, since they are uniquely familiar with the housing needs and roadblocks within their communities.
CONFIRMATION DELAYS STACK UP FOR TRUMP NOMINEE AS PAPERWORK LAGS IN FEDERAL OFFICES
Turner also said he plans to find ways to reduce the cost of construction and engage with private sector entities within the housing market.
In addition to their questions about funding HUD programs, Democrats questioned Turner about whether he would work to remove alleged racial bias from the housing appraisal industry and whether he intends to go after “price gouging” from real estate investors.
Turner said he would commit to looking into the issue with Democrats and make a determination from there. However, Turner did rail against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures he said are embedded in HUD.
“Despite all the subsidies and all the trillions of dollars [the Biden administration] spent, not much good has happened,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate banking committee, said Thursday during his opening statement.
“But, today, it is a new day in America, and new leadership brings hope and opportunity and enthusiasm back to the American people.”
Latest Political News on Fox News Read More
