Eric Scott Turner, President-elect Trump's nominee to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is sworn in during a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (Associated Press )
"I believe having that equity in the home should be available to the homeowner because that’s how most families begin to build wealth," Turner said.
But Democrats at the hearing questioned whether Turner could make housing more affordable.
At one point during the hearing, Turner was asked about his support for work requirements for those receiving Section 8 housing assistance, telling committee members he thought they were a good idea. When Turner tried to explain his reasoning, he was cut off by the senator questioning him and unable to respond.
On whether he would cut funding from certain programs, Turner did not give a concrete answer one way or the other. But he did commit to "maximize" the funding HUD has and will work with committee members to address concerns about funding for certain programs.
"There are many factors to why housing is so expensive now, and I believe first we need to get our own fiscal house in order," Turner told Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., when she asked Turner if he would support additional federal investment to lower the cost to build more affordable housing.
"I do look forward to looking at the HOME Program and other programs, but there's record funding from HUD. HUD's budget is nearly $70 billion at this point, and we're still not meeting the need that we're supposed to be meeting."
Eric Scott Turner, President-elect Trump's nominee to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development, arrives to testify at his Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building Jan. 16, 2025. in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
In addition to their questions about funding HUD programs, Democrats questioned Turner about whether he would work to remove alleged racial bias from the housing appraisal industry and whether he intends to go after "price gouging" from real estate investors.
Turner said he would commit to looking into the issue with Democrats and make a determination from there. However, Turner did rail against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures he said are embedded in HUD.
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"Despite all the subsidies and all the trillions of dollars [the Biden administration] spent, not much good has happened," Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate banking committee, said Thursday during his opening statement.
"But, today, it is a new day in America, and new leadership brings hope and opportunity and enthusiasm back to the American people."
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