Trump’s pick to lead HUD has opposed relief programs for the poor
Scott Turner, the would-be candidate to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the incoming Trump administration has previously expressed dire and skeptical views about federal programs designed to help people living in poverty and homelessness.
These views could illustrate a lack of commitment to HUD programs that aim to provide assistance to Americans facing housing-related economic challenges, according to analyzes and interviews with experts from ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization. The report is based on “a review of legislative documents as well as Turner’s public speeches, podcast appearances and sermons at the megachurch in Plano, Texas, where he is pastor,” ProPublica explains.
The report cites Turner’s history as a lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives, where he voted against several programs analogous to certain federal programs he would oversee as HUD Secretary.
“Gymnast supported a bill ensuring that landlords could deny apartments to applicants because they were receiving federal housing assistance,” the report said. “He against a bill expand affordable rental housing. He voted against funding public-private partnerships to support the homeless and against two bills calling just to study homelessness among youth and veterans.”
Turner has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the ability of government programs to help the poor. In an appearance from 2023 On the faith-focused “Well Versed World Podcast,” Turner described wellness programs as “harmful” and “one of the most destructive things to the family,” according to the report. He repeated similar doubts as pastor at the influential Prestonwood Baptist Church.
When this was reached, Turner representatives dismissed the report, saying that passing judgment on Turner’s potential actions as HUD secretary before he has spoken out at expected confirmation hearings exposes the publication’s ideological bias.
“Of course, ProPublica would try to paint a negative picture of Mr. Turner before he even gets a chance to testify,” a representative for Turner said. “We would expect nothing less from a publication that serves solely as a liberal mouthpiece.”
Some experts who spoke to the outlet argue that Turner’s views conflict with HUD’s broader mission.
“If you believe at a fundamental level that people are getting help with their rent when they’re very poor and struggling, if you think that’s actually dependency and a bad thing, then you’re going to try to undermine those programs,” Shamus Roller , director of the National Housing Law Projectthe outlet told us.
But one of Turner’s former Democratic colleagues in the Texas House endorsed him based on experiences working with him on a committee.
“My sense of him is that he will try to help people,” said Richard Peña Raymond, who represents western Webb County, including the city of Laredo, in the Legislature. “I think he will do well.”
Turner’s view of such programs seems to be derived from his youth. He grew up outside of Dallas and described himself in a podcast appearance in 2022 as ‘a young child from a broken home, from a poor family.’ He parlayed his athletic skills into a successful career in the National football competition (NFL) for nine seasons before entering politics.
While still playing football, Turner attempted to enter politics by serving as an intern in the office of a member of the California House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for a state congressional seat in 2006 before returning to Texas, where he was elected to the Legislature in 2013.
It was there that he “consolidated his position as a deeply conservative member who opposed many government interventions in the housing market,” the newspaper reported, based on its review of the legislature’s voting results.
Shortly after his nomination was announced by newly elected President Donald Trump, leaders in the US Senate weighed on Turner’s nomination.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — the current member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, who is expected to become chairman in the new term — said he looks forward to working with Turner and quickly addressing issues to take his appointment. And Ben Carson, the HUD secretary during Trump’s first term, praised Turner as the “perfect” choice for the job.
But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took a more cautious stance. She said she looks forward to Turner’s views on the current housing issues that HUD will need to address over the next four years.
