Marcia L. Fudge was officially sworn in as the eighteenth Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Secretary Fudge took the oath the evening of March 10 after the Senate voted to confirm her. As Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Fudge now leads a federal department with wide reach throughout the United States, including the Offices of Housing, Community Planning and Development, Federal Housing Administration, Public and Indian Housing, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Policy Development and Research, Field Policy and Management, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, and Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
The multifamily industry responds:
NAHB applauds Senate confirmation
Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla., issued the following statement regarding the Senate confirmation of Rep. Marcia Fudge as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development:
“NAHB applauds the Senate confirmation of Marcia Fudge as the next secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We look forward to working with her to address the urgent needs associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to advance HUD’s mission of promoting affordable homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all Americans. NAHB also stands ready to work with the secretary and her new team to promote pro-housing policies that ensure stable and liquid mortgage markets for single-family and multifamily housing.”
NMHC and NAA statement
Statement from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) following Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
“NMHC and NAA congratulate Secretary Fudge on her confirmation. On behalf of the nation’s rental housing industry, we look forward to working with Secretary Fudge and her team to navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19, provide critically needed support to apartment residents and housing providers, and address the housing affordability crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“The stimulus package passed this week represents a truly significant investment in essential housing and homelessness assistance that will go a long way to helping apartment residents and housing providers meet their financial obligations. We are especially appreciative of the additional direct rental assistance and want to work with the Secretary to ensure that the funds are distributed in an efficient and effective manner.
“Our country is facing significant housing affordability challenges, and we stand ready to partner with Secretary Fudge and the Biden Administration on policies that will encourage the creation and rehabilitation of housing at all price points and ensure housing opportunity for all Americans.”
Statement of CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman
Sunia Zaterman, executive director of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, released the following statement upon the strong bipartisan confirmation of the Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, of Ohio, to become the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:
“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities congratulates Secretary Marcia Fudge on her confirmation in the Senate today to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Her many years of leadership from being a Mayor, to a Member of Congress, and as a head of the Congressional Black Caucus will serve her well as she takes the reins of the nation’s largest housing agency. Secretary Fudge’s demonstrated leadership on economic justice issues such as food insecurity and education access will be an asset at HUD as she will bring needed expertise to aligning systems and services to better meet the needs of low-income Americans.
“Secretary Fudge has an opportunity to address protracted problems in public housing that have existed for decades. Years of willful neglect and chronic disinvestment in public housing has left the portfolio in disrepair. Recapitalizing the public housing portfolio is a significant step towards reversing racial inequities created by decades of racist housing policies. We encourage the Secretary to prioritize recapitalizing the public housing portfolio during her tenure at HUD and throughout the entire Biden-Harris administration.
“Secretary Fudge can also take meaningful measures toward a permanent and significant expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program. Research has clearly shown that vouchers are the most effective and efficient tool to prevent housing instability and homelessness. A key advantage of vouchers is their distribution through the existing infrastructure of 2,400 public housing authorities across the nation.
CLPHA looks forward to working with Secretary Fudge as she works toward ensuring everyone has access to safe and affordable housing and addressing housing inequity for people of color.”
