U.S. Senator Katie Britt Questions HUD Secretary Nominee Scott Turner at Banking Committee Nomination Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today, during a Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing, questioned Scott Turner, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She emphasized her support for his confirmation.
In the hearing, Senator Britt began by thanking HUD Secretary nominee Turner for his willingness to serve our nation and the American people. She also highlighted the important experience he will bring to the position to address how four years of the Biden-Harris Administration’s red tape regime and failed Bidenomics policies have exacerbated our nation’s affordable housing crisis.
BRITT: “We all know that we are facing a serious problem when it comes to affordable housing in this country. Whether it’s inflation, whether it’s high construction cost, whether it’s interest rates . . . low inventory – we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to tackle in order to be able to fix this. And unfortunately, over the last four years of the Biden-Harris Administration, these things have not gotten better, they have gotten worse.”
BRITT: “You are going to inherit a tremendous problem, but one that is critically important for people to be able to have their piece of the American Dream . . . I am thrilled about the Trump Administration coming in, you being at the helm, [and] getting [the Department] focused back on solutions and getting real results, rather than prioritizing overburdensome regulations, or mandates, or harmful price controls that ultimately only add fuel to the fire.”
Senator Britt emphasized her commitment to working with HUD Secretary nominee Turner on their shared goal of streamlining HUD programs and implementing targeted reforms, while eliminating unnecessary regulations to lower housing costs. She continued by questioning HUD Secretary nominee Turner on his plans to advance solutions to help make homeownership more accessible for hardworking Americans.
BRITT: “. . . when you look over the last year: homelessness jumping 18% in the last 12 months, 33% since 2020. It’s absolutely unacceptable. You look at the fact that a new cost [of a] home has now risen 30% since 2020 . . . and 24% of that is directly attributed to regulation. I know that you agree that that is unacceptable, and it’s clear that overburdensome regulation is part of this.”
BRITT: “I want to just talk to you a little bit about your intention here to assess and measure the effectiveness of current HUD programs. Tell me what approach you’re going to take there and how you’re going to see what is working for the American people, what is not, and what is your plan in executing that?”
TURNER: “So number one, and I’ve used this word before, ‘inventory’ and taking an assessment is key. You have to know what’s working and what’s not working . . . Is it building more affordable housing, or is it not? Is it helping the homelessness in our country, or is it not? Is it meeting the needs of Americans that we serve, or is it not? And I think if we go from there, to come back to you [and] this Committee, and say, ‘Hey, this is what we have found. This [is what] works, and this is what is not working. This is what is efficient, and this is what is duplicative.’”
TURNER: “So I think those simple principles could do very well going forward.”
BRITT: “Excellent, I look forward to working with you on that and your commitment to making sure that we get this right.”
Turner: “Thank you.”
A video of Senator Britt’s full line of questioning can be viewed here.
###
