Senator Merkley questions Carson HUD nomination

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Washington, D.C. – After President-elect Donald Trump announced Dr. Ben Carson as a nominee for the next secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement;

“Ben Carson has given me plenty of reasons to question his judgment, and I’m curious to hear why he and the new Administration think he is qualified to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

“Carson has previously taken himself out of the running for a cabinet position due to his lack of political experience. He has no professional experience in either government or housing policy. And his campaign website when he ran for President didn’t even mention HUD.

“I am also deeply concerned that the incoming Administration has proposed someone who believes ‘poverty is really more of a choice than anything else’ to lead American urban development. We need policies coming out of HUD that reflect the needs of people struggling to find affordable housing in supercharged housing markets like Portland’s. Telling people that their lack of means is their own problem is not a solution.

“It looks like we will have plenty to discuss at Dr. Carson’s hearing.”

According to the statement, Sen. Merkley sits on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which will consider Carson’s nomination.

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