Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for HUD Nominee
Issue Date: January 16, 2025
On Thursday, January 16, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a confirmation hearing for President-elect Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Mr. Scott Turner. In addition to joining multiple real estate industry coalition letters in support of his nomination, NAR sent its own letter urging the Senate Committee to vote to confirm Mr. Turner and quickly bring his confirmation up on the Senate floor.
Mr. Turner is a former Texas State Senator and served as the Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council from 2019 – 2021, which was tasked with developing the Qualified Opportunity Zone program and coordinating it across agencies. During the hearing Mr. Turner was questioned by Committee members about a range of issues covered by HUD, including affordable housing programs, homelessness, appraisal bias, and fair housing. He stressed his commitment to addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis and tackling the issue of homelessness in the country, especially homeless veterans. He pointed to barriers to new development and affordable housing, including restrictive state and local zoning laws, which he would encourage localities to adjust to be more flexible, and committed to maximizing HUD’s budget.
Mr. Turner’s nomination now awaits a full Committee vote before being sent to the Senate floor for a final vote on his nomination.