The US Senate has confirmed Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Scott Turner, a former professional American football player, was confirmed 55-44 on Wednesday to run the agency tasked with addressing homelessness, providing assistance to renters and home owners, and preventing housing discrimination.
The agency and its 10,000 employees manage a budget of more than $70bn (£56bn).
Turner previously played for the Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. He is the Trump administration’s lone black cabinet appointee.
Only two Democrats supported Turner during Wednesday’s confirmation vote: Senators Peter Welch from Vermont and John Fetterman from Pennsylvania.
The housing secretary position is identical to the role Ben Carson held during Trump’s initial term in office. At that moment, Carson was also the only black member of the cabinet.
Turner served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in Trump’s initial term.
He has also held a position in the Texas legislature before.
While testifying before the Senate’s banking, housing, and urban affairs committee last month, Turner discussed his upbringing in Texas and his experience as a dishwasher at a BBQ eatery.
He informed the panel that additional housing was required in the nation and that more efforts were needed to stop the homelessness crisis in the United States. He stated that the agency was “dysfunctional” and its staff must return to the office.
“We are facing a housing crisis in our nation, where American individuals and families are battling daily,” he informed the committee. “HUD is not succeeding in its fundamental purpose.”
The agency plays a significant role in housing and development. A significant portion of its budget is allocated to aid low-income individuals, homelessness, and the elderly and disabled populations.
It offers rental support to over two million households and manages 790,000 public housing units across the US.
It administers a mortgage and loan insurance initiative for homeowners, allocates block grants to aid and advance low-income housing, and offers assistance for community development.
In a statement, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment non-profit expressed its willingness to collaborate with Scott “to realize our common goal of prosperous communities featuring affordable housing for everyone.”
It also stated it would collaborate with HUD to “make sure that housing and community development agencies across the country receive their allocated federal funds without interruption.”