Scott Turner, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of HUD, testified before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Jan. 16, 2025. Prior to his nomination, Turner played in the NFL, was elected to the Texas state house and served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. Most recently, Turner served as chief visionary officer for the development group JPI and as chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute.
During the hearing, Turner emphasized his commitment to work in a bipartisan manner to combat rising housing costs and to address homelessness. He shared the importance of public-private partnerships and discussed prior experience with Opportunity Zones to revitalize underserved areas. Other topics he was questioned about included Section 8 vouchers, the Fair Housing Act, support for veterans’ housing, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) briefly mentioned the successful use of LIHTCs to create affordable housing in his home state and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) expressed interest in amending regulations related to opportunity zones to enhance their effectiveness.
The proceedings were characterized by a composed and professional atmosphere, devoid of contentious exchanges. Republicans praised Turner’s previous work experience and criticized the outgoing Biden administration policies, while the Democrats sought to get him on the record promising to enforce Fair Housing Laws and to defend the HUD budget from cuts included in the previous Trump administration proposals. The committee is expected to vote on Turner’s nomination on Jan. 23 at 10 a.m., after which his nomination will move to the Senate floor for consideration.
