Former Texas state consultant and NFL star Scott Turner will now lead the Division of Housing and City Improvement after being confirmed in a Senate vote of 55-44.
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President Trump’s cupboard is shortly filling up, with Division of Housing and City Improvement nominee Scott Turner being the newest secretary to obtain affirmation. The Senate confirmed Turner on Wednesday with a vote of 55-44.
Earlier than the vote, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) stated he appeared ahead to working with Turner on creating long-term housing and revitalization applications that help state and native efforts to enhance inexpensive housing. He additionally known as on the newly minted secretary to strengthen HUD contractors’ whistleblower protections, which embrace a loophole that allowed employers to retaliate towards contractors who reported potential wrongdoing.
Senator Chuck Grassley
“As a former NFL cornerback, developer, state and local official, and executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, Mr. Turner understands the challenges facing American communities,” Grassley stated. “While the vast majority of housing and development issues are solved at the local and state level, I certainly understand how the federal government and the programs utilized by many Iowa individual families and communities assist with making our cities the best place to live, work, and play.”
“Even though I did not meet with Scott Turner in my office as I do most nominees for cabinet, I stressed to him today the importance of responding to congressional letters and inquiries,” he added about roadblocks with updating HUD contractors’ protections. “I fully expect Mr. Turner as the new secretary to respond to all the congressional inquiries in a timely and responsible manner. I look forward to working with this new secretary to support long-term housing and revitalization policies to keep our communities, our states, and our nation strong.”
Majority whip John Barrasso (R-WY) seconded Grassley’s help, noting he trusts Turner to “work for the American people.”
Scott Turner | Credit score: America First Coverage Institute
Turner’s nomination was primarily buoyed by his expertise main the Alternative Zones program throughout President Trump’s first time period.
As a part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Alternative Zones program supplied builders tax breaks once they invested their realized capital features in tasks throughout 8,700 designated zones.
This system has yielded combined outcomes, with a number of analyses revealing residence values in most Alternative Zones continued to lag behind nationwide averages as builders have been accused of abusing loopholes to obtain tax advantages with out making precise long-term investments within the zones. Nonetheless, residence worth development within the zones lastly caught as much as the nationwide common in 2022 as a once-in-a-lifetime drop in mortgage charges stoked a shopping for frenzy.
Throughout his affirmation listening to on Jan. 16, Turner stated he’d broaden the Alternative Zones program, loosen zoning laws and costs to encourage stronger inexpensive housing begins, and cut back the scale of the Part 8 housing voucher program by enacting work necessities. Turner additionally stated he’d uphold Truthful Housing rights however didn’t touch upon particular insurance policies.
“HUD, if you will, is failing at its most basic mission, and that has to come to an end,” he stated. “I do commit to having those conversations with the president and with Congress as it pertains to being an ambassador and a voice for HUD and to maximize the budget that we are given.”
The largest hiccup in Turner’s affirmation course of got here when Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) famous Turner hadn’t accomplished an FBI background verify. Warren stated the outcomes of that verify have been essential to garnering the total help of Democratic legislators, who largely voted nay in at the moment’s vote.
“There is no reason to anticipate a problem, but it would be irresponsible for this committee to vote on a cabinet nominee without his background check, and it would not be consistent with committee precedent,” she stated in a letter to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and City Affairs Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) on Jan. 24. “…I am mystified as to why you would not agree to this delay. It need not be long. It serves both sides of the aisle, and the American people are served by knowing that that background check has been completed.”
“Absent this background check, we simply do not have the information that is needed to go forward on this nominee,” she added. “So, I will be voting no, and I hope that with future nominees, you will adhere to committee precedent and the common sense practice and courtesy of ensuring that we have the full FBI background check for any nominee before we hold a committee vote.”
The nation’s largest housing advocate teams have been cautious about Turner’s capability to guide HUD. The day after Turner’s affirmation listening to, Nationwide Low Earnings Coalition Interim President Renee M. Willis wrote a public letter highlighting considerations about Turner’s plans to scale back Part 8 housing voucher entry and cut back the division’s price range amid a record-high homelessness price.
“NLIHC, our members and partners, impacted people, and congressional leaders must again lead the charge to protect the lowest-income and most marginalized people and the housing investments they rely on to keep a roof over their head,” she stated.
“Just as we did during the first Trump administration, NLIHC is prepared to mobilize in opposition to policies that we believe are detrimental to our goal of increasing affordable housing. We are also prepared to encourage and support any policies we believe will expand affordable housing for millions of Americans who live with the threat of housing insecurity.”
