The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ben Carson is confirmed as HUD secretary
Senate votes 58-41 in rare display of bipartisanship.
Ben Carson, an acclaimed neurosurgeon-turned-politician, can now add a new title to his résumé: secretary of housing and urban development.
The Senate voted 58-41 Thursday morning to confirm Carson in a rare show of bipartisanship. Unlike other Cabinet members chosen by President Donald Trump, Carson, who has no experience running a large federal bureaucracy, did not face much pushback from Democrats during his confirmation process.
The Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs unanimously voted his nomination out of committee in January, though several Democrats did question him about his belief that government assistance programs often lead to dependency. Carson will now head an agency with a $47 billion budget and a charge to assist millions of low-income renters, fight urban blight and help struggling homeowners stave off foreclosures.
Carson, whose mother at times received food stamps to provide for her family, grew up surrounded by some of the housing assistance programs he will now oversee. Yet, rather than embrace the programs that once sustained his family and the families around him, he has adopted Republican beliefs that too much government help — both in desegregating neighborhoods and in lifting people from poverty — can discourage people from working hard.
Carson was awarded a scholarship to Yale University, and at 33, he was named director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. He later became an author and a philanthropist supporting scholarships for young, often impoverished students.
After his medical career, Carson turned to politics and competed with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
Carson’s views worry many of his critics who believe the federal government should be doing more, not less, for the nation’s cities.
It is unclear how much Carson will seek to change existing housing policy.
He did agree to work with Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, to construct a system to identify properties tied both to the Trump family and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carson also committed to telling senators about the department’s dealings with any businesses owned by Trump or his relatives.