President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named one-time rival Ben Carson to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Carson, who has no experience in government or housing but was raised in blighted Detroit, Michigan public housing, had been rumored for weeks as Mr. Trump’s pick to oversee the federal government’s efforts to lift cities from poverty.
The department oversees the Federal Housing Administration, which administers standards for construction, underwriting, and insures loans for home building; the Community Development Block Grant, a tool used by cities for redevelopment and disaster reconstruction efforts; the Fair Housing Act, part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in housing; and the Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly know as Section 8 Housing, which authorizes public vouchers to private landlords, paying the rents and utilities of some 2.1 million families across the country.
Despite the lack of experience, Trump said Carson is passionate about strengthening impoverished communities, particularly those found in inner cities.
“Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” he said. “We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including inner cities.
“Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans.”
