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(The Epoch Times)—Scott Turner will be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after the Senate voted to confirm him on Feb. 5.
The 55–44 vote adds one more member to President Donald Trump’s growing Cabinet, less than a week after the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee voted along party lines, 13–11, to advance the former NFL player’s nomination to the Senate floor.
Turner was nominated for the role by Trump just days after the 2024 election. During his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, Turner said his primary goal at HUD would be to ease “regulatory burdens” for housing development while maximizing the potential of the agency’s $72.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2025.
As a developer himself, Turner described the impact on construction costs from “permitting fees, inspection fees, [and] zoning difficulties on a local level.” He cited data that shows regulations account for, on average, 40.6 percent of the total development costs of multifamily homes and roughly 23.8 percent of the development costs of single-family homes.
He also discussed the United States hitting an all-time record high of homelessness in 2024.
“That’s a national embarrassment and something that cannot continue,” Turner said. “We have a housing crisis in our country, where American people and families are struggling every day.
“HUD is failing at its most basic mission.”
When Turner’s nomination went in front of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Jan. 23 for a confirmation vote, several Democrats on the committee, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) signed a letter stating their refusal to advance him before his FBI background check had been completed.
“If confirmed, Mr. Turner will serve as a member of President Trump’s cabinet and be in the line of presidential succession. The Committee’s customary practice—followed by both Republican and Democratic chairs—is to hold a vote on a nomination only after the FBI completes its background investigation,” the Democrats wrote.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the committee, said Turner has the necessary skill set for HUD in a Jan. 23. video posted to social media platform X.
“HUD’s mission is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality, affordable homes, serving the most vulnerable in our nation,” Scott said. “Scott Turner’s story and perspective are tools that he brings to the table.”
Turner, 52, was born and raised in Texas. He started his football career at the University of Illinois before the Washington Redskins drafted him in 1995, leading to nine years in the NFL. From 2012 to 2017, he served in the Texas House of Representatives.
The former athlete is also the founder and CEO of the Community Engagement and Opportunity Council. During the first Trump administration, he served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.
Samantha Flom contributed to this report.
