“It’s time to undo the Biden administration’s far-left policies and burdensome regulations that have put the American dream out of reach for millions of Americans,” said Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
Scott touted Turner, a former NFL defensive back and Texas state legislator, as having “the skillset necessary” to lead that comeback.
Turner, 52, was born and raised in Texas and played football at the University of Illinois. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1995 and spent nine years in the NFL.
In 2012, he won election to the Texas House of Representatives—a seat he held until 2017.
Turner is also the founder and CEO of the Community Engagement and Opportunity Council and served as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council under President Donald Trump’s first administration.
“HUD’s mission is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality, affordable homes, serving the most vulnerable in our nation,” Scott noted in the video. “Scott Turner’s story and perspective are tools that he brings to the table.”
The 13–11 vote by senators along party lines followed objections from Democrat members who sought a postponement because they had yet to receive Turner’s completed background check from the FBI.
In a letter addressed to Scott and led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Democrats wrote that it would be “irresponsible” and inconsistent with committee precedent to move ahead with the vote.
“If confirmed, Mr. Turner will serve as a member of President Trump’s Cabinet and be in the order of presidential succession. Accordingly, it is imperative that the committee receives Mr. Turner’s FBI background investigation before proceeding to a committee vote,” they wrote.
Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson has strongly advocated for Turner to lead the department, a source familiar with the matter told The Epoch Times.
The pair worked closely together on HUD’s opportunity zones program in Trump’s prior administration.
The initiative, created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, used tax breaks to encourage private investment in low-income communities.
Turner’s nomination now heads to the full Senate chamber for consideration. If confirmed, he faces the critical task of addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Turner noted that the United States had record homelessness in 2024.
“That’s a national embarrassment and something that cannot continue,” he said. “We have a housing crisis in our country, where American people and families are struggling every day. HUD is failing at its most basic mission.”
