Retired neurosurgeon and failed presidential candidate Ben Carson was confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Thursday, despite having no experience in housing policy or government in general, after the Senate voted in his favor 58-41.
The full roll call is here.
Other lawmakers who fell in line with Republicans to approve him were Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Manchin (W.V.), Jon Tester (Mont.), and Mark Warner (Va.), along with Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine).
Carson will now lead the agency with a budget of roughly $47 billion that oversees fair housing practices and assists low-income renters and homeowners.A close associate infamously said that Carson initially rejected President Donald Trump’s offer to lead HUD because he did not have experience in government or running a federal agency.
He also told the Washington Post in November that he would be a “fish out of water” in a Trump cabinet and was unlikely to serve in it. Nonetheless, he ultimately took the nomination.
Many of his views on housing policy have raised alarms for experts. He notably referred to fair housing as a “failed socialist experiment.”
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