Tipsheet

Scott Turner Has Been Confirmed to Lead HUD

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  February 05, 2025 2:05 PM

Scott Turner was confirmed Wednesday to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by a vote of 55-44, with two Democrats joining Republicans—Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Peter Welch of Vermont. 

Turner previously served in the first Trump administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, where President Trump said he helped “to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” 

Turner, an NFL player-turned-politician, promised during his confirmation hearing that he would address homelessness, slash regulations, and bring down housing costs. 

“HUD is failing at its most basic mission and that has to come to an end,” he told lawmakers. “As a country, we’re not building enough housing. We need millions of homes, all kinds of homes: multifamily, single-family, duplex, condos, manufactur[ed] housing, you name it.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Tuesday Turner has a "big job" ahead of him as secretary of HUD but believes he “has the grit, the determination, and passion to get it done.”

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“This is an important role. Our country is facing a housing crisis affecting big cities, rural areas, tribal lands — literally every part of our country. Higher construction costs and burdensome regulations have made homebuilding challenging. And what homes are on the market are too pricey for many Americans,” Thune said.

“Many parts of the country have homelessness challenges. Too many distressed communities are struggling to turn their fortunes around,” Thune continued. “And despite a windfall of additional funding for HUD, these problems are, in many cases, getting worse.” 

The latest vote means Turner became the 12th member of President Trump's cabinet to be confirmed.