The U.S. Senate today voted to confirm the nomination of former NFL player, Scott Turner, as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Turner, a native Texan, served as the first Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in Trump’s first administration. That role involved overseeing and disbursing investment for "Opportunity Zones," areas across the U.S. designated to receive tax incentives to spur economic growth.
"His work on the Opportunity Zone Program especially illustrates his commitment to finding economic opportunities for low-income communities to assist the individuals that live within them," commented Shannon McGahn, chief advocacy officer at the National Association of Realtors (NAR). McGahn noted the nation's housing inventory shortage "has contributed to an affordability crisis," making HUD programs "more important than ever."
Turner will now lead a department with a nearly $70 billion budget and about 8,000 employees. During confirmation hearings, it was noted that he would play a role in the "enormous task" of fixing the nation's housing "crisis."
“Thank you for your engagement and for your ideas on rebuilding the American dream for our nation's forgotten communities,” Turner said during confirmation hearings, adding that “the challenges that HUD faces are vital to our nation as well as personal to me.”
“As we sit here, we have a housing crisis in our country,” he noted. “We have the American people and families that are struggling every day. We have a homelessness crisis in our country. HUD, if you will, is failing at its most basic mission.”
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) congratulated Turner and said it would continue work with HUD and others to bolster the single-family and multifamily housing markets.
“We will continue to advocate for policies and solutions that improve housing supply and affordability and stand ready to work with leadership and staff at HUD, the Federal Housing Administration, and Ginnie Mae as they carry out their important roles in supporting single-family and multifamily housing markets while protecting taxpayers,” stated MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit, CMB.
