President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to Politico.
If Politico’s report is true, and the Senate confirms Fudge, she would become only the second Black woman to manage the department.
Fudgerepresents an urban district anchored by Cleveland. She is also a member of the House Agriculture Committee.
Speaking to the publication last month, Fudge asserted that Black policymakers have traditionally been relegated to just a handful of Cabinet positions — including HUD secretary.
“As this country becomes more and more diverse, we’re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in,” she said. “You know, it’s always ‘we want to put the Black person in Labor or HUD.'”
And she’s not wrong.
Ben Carson is currently the HUD secretary, and we will be happy to see the back of him.
When he’s not shamelessly defending Trump or attacking Auntie Maxine Waters — under his leadership, his department is working hard to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our communities are further disenfranchised.
Last October, Carson confirmed that the HUD intentionally withheld funds from residents of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
Carson was quizzed on the subject by Rep. Nydia Velázquez during a congressional hearing.
“A lot of what we do is dictated by common sense,” Carson said, adding that it was “unreasonable to send an unprecedented amount of money to a jurisdiction that had three changes of government within a month and which has historically had difficulties with financial management.”
