On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump (never will get tired of writing that) placed former Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), Scott Turner, in nomination for Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The announcement was made in an emailed statement from the Trump-Vance transition team:
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I am pleased to nominate Scott Turner, from the Great State of Texas, as the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities. Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!
Mr. Turner is apparently a former sports figure, as well as having served in the previous Trump administration under then-HUD Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson. The statement continued:
After graduating from University of Illinois, Scott was drafted by the Washington Redskins, and spent nine years in the NFL before he went on to win a State House Race in Texas, where he was born and raised.
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You can read the full statement here.
Mr. Turner took to X to respond to the nomination:
The X post reads in full:
Thank you, Mr. President. I am thrilled to continue the outstanding work we began in your last administration at HUD with an incredible team. I am deeply humbled by your confidence in my nomination.
I would also like to express the sincerest of gratitude to my mentor, Secretary @RealBenCarson. Few people are as compassionate and gracious as he is, and I am aware that I have big shoes to fill. The forgotten men and women of this great country over the past four years will be honored in the Trump administration.
Lastly, I am eternally grateful to my wonderful wife Robin, my son Solomon, and the many incredible friends who have supported me on this journey. We have an important mission ahead. To God be the glory. Let’s get to work!
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HUD was originally constituted in 1965 after the passage of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. The department is primarily responsible for such things as oversight of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The department also administers several public housing measures, including Section 8 housing and community development block grants for affordable housing and homelessness programs.
As of 2021, HUD has an operating budget of $60.3 billion. It is as yet unclear if this department will come under the scrutiny of the DOGE, but smart money says it will.