Senate Holds Nomination Hearing for HUD Secretary-Designate
Thursday, January 16, 2025 — Scott Turner, President-Elect Trump’s nominee for HUD Secretary, appeared before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Newly elected Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) presided over a collegial hearing. Senators from both parties asked questions and shared their observations and hopes for the new administration as it takes on the affordable housing crisis, many with a heavy emphasis on building more housing supply to meet the growing demand. From a prepared statement, Scott explained “as we sit here, we have a housing crisis in our country, where American people and families are struggling every day. HUD is failing at its most basic mission.” Turner also echoed bipartisan calls for building more homes, “we need millions more homes of all kinds, single family, apartments, condos, duplexes, manufactured housing, you name it.”
Republicans on the Committee praised Turner’s experience as someone that started in poverty and reached the National Football League as a testament to his character and his temperament to lead HUD. GOP Senators also praised Turner’s past work in the first Trump administration to develop Opportunity Zones. Turner promised to explore these further in Trump’s second term.
Democrats on the Committee pressed Turner on some of Trump’s first term housing policies, but failed to get commitments regarding whether the incoming administration would take steps to avoid certain policy decisions pursued in Trump’s first administration. When asked for firm commitments on whether the administration will remove families with mixed immigration status from housing and uphold fair housing market policies, Turner echoed his commitment to further studying the policies themselves.
Turner pledged to meet with many of the Senators on the committee and conduct a review of existing HUD policies and programs to assess their effectiveness. He echoed Republicans in the House and Senate that have criticized HUD’s management of appropriated funds, which may be setting up cuts in the next administration. Turner also spoke of his plans to make HUD staff return to in-person office work, a reversal from the Biden-era HUD policies allowing many employees to work remotely and from home. Turner’s nomination is expected to advance out of the committee where the full Senate will vote to confirm him to take the reins at HUD.
NAHRO looks forward to working with the incoming Trump administration in finding solutions to the housing challenges currently faced across the country. Read NAHRO’s transition report here, and NAHRO’s joint recommendations with PHADA, CLPHA, and the MTW Collaborative to the incoming administration here.