Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who vied for the Republican presidential nomination this year, appears close to accepting the role of secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
On Nov. 22, president-elect Donald Trump said on Twitter that he was “seriously considering” Carson for the HUD post. “I’ve gotten to know him well—he’s a greatly talented person who loves people!” read the tweet.
I am seriously considering Dr. Ben Carson as the head of HUD. I've gotten to know him well–he's a greatly talented person who loves people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016
HousingWire reported that Carson will accept the job, but official word had yet to come from Trump or Carson on Monday afternoon. That’s noteworthy because it appears that Carson has gone back and forth on whether he will join the administration in a formal capacity.
Since Carson’s name was floated for the HUD post, several affordable housing leaders and observers have expressed bewilderment at the pick. Prior housing secretaries have come with either a strong housing background or solid government experience. Current HUD secretary Julian Castro served as mayor of San Antonio. Before him, Shaun Donovan led the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
HUD secretaries during the George W. Bush administration included Mel Martinez, chairman of Orange County, Fla., and chairman of the Orlando Housing Authority, and Alphonso Jackson, who had been president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas.
“With so many qualified candidates to choose from with deep knowledge of, and commitment to affordable housing solutions for the poorest families, and with the housing crisis reaching new heights across the country, Dr. Ben Carson’s nomination to serve as HUD secretary is surprising and concerning, given his lack of experience with or knowledge of the programs he would oversee,” said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in a statement.
The little that is known about Carson’s affordable housing positions is concerning, according to Yentel.
“In July 2015, Dr. Carson published an editorial describing fair housing as an Obama administration ‘experiment,’ revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of obligations that have been around since 1968, the year the Fair Housing Act was made law,” she said. “A community’s obligation to affirmatively further fair housing is not new—what is new is the data, tools, and guidance that the Obama administration provided to enable communities to better meet their fair housing obligations.”
Yentel said NLIHC is committed to working with the next HUD secretary to ensure the country’s poorest families have decent, safe, and affordable homes.
Terri Ludwig, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, pointed out Trump’s call to invest in America’s infrastructure and inner cities.
“Investments in quality, affordable housing must be a part of that agenda,” Ludwig said. “Today more than one in four families who rent their homes—11.4 million households in total – are “housing insecure,” spending at least half of their monthly income on housing. This unprecedented affordable housing crisis not only damages the health and economic prospects of millions of people in America, it’s also a drag on our country’s economic growth.”
She also stressed the organization’s desire to work with the new administration.
“Enterprise will work with president-elect Trump, his nominee for HUD secretary, incoming members of the next administration, and the 115th Congress to create an infrastructure of opportunity for low-income families,” Ludwig said.
Carson reportedly was being eyed for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which at least covers a field he knows. His adviser, Armstrong Williams, was then quoted in The Hill saying that Carson was not interested in serving as HHS secretary and joining the incoming administration. “Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency,” Armstrong said in the publication.
However, Carson, who rose out of poverty in Detroit to become an acclaimed neurosurgeon, recently expressed a desire to help inner-cities.
On Nov. 23, he said on Twitter that “an announcement is forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again.”
An announcement is forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again. https://t.co/jGRyzFRBAK
— Dr. Ben Carson (@RealBenCarson) November 23, 2016
