Lawmakers and housing groups react to Scott Turner’s HUD confirmation hearing
“Scott Turner agreed that our country has a housing affordability crisis,” Warren said. “President-elect Trump claims he wants to lower housing costs. But I want to hear more about their plans to actually do that, including investing to boost housing construction, using the ministry’s tools to drive down costs, and cracking down on private equity and corporate housing companies that drive up prices to make a profit.”
In a social media post, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) described the confirmation hearings for Turner, attorney general nominee Pam Bondi and US Treasury secretary candidate Scott Bessent as “slam dunks.”
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) issued a press release saying he had received “a commitment” from Turner to assess Cleveland’s housing crisis. During the hearing, Moreno claimed during a conversation that “if we put illegals in there [Cleveland housing] projects, we would be penalized by the [United Nations] for human rights violations.”
Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) also posted on the social media platform X shortly after the hearing ended. Cortez Masto shared an excerpt of her conversation with Turner, in which she said she “pushed Scott Turner into a commitment to protection [veteran home] investments because I know what they mean to Nevadans.
said Blunt Rochester she wanted to put pressure on Turner “On whether he supports restrictions that would make critical housing programs more difficult to access for those who need them,” she said. “Unfortunately he does.”
HousingWire reached out to the office of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the Banking Committee, for his response to Turner’s hearing, but did not immediately receive a response. Scott I did post a video of his opening statement of the hearing in which he called Turner “the change we need at HUD.”
In an interview with HousingWire, Scott Olson, executive director of the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA), said his organization is “extremely interested and sympathetic to the perspective that Mr. Turner offers, which is that we need to do something about housing production.”
The combination of interest rate and home price increases illustrates a mismatch between supply and demand, Olson said. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) activities aimed at providing homeownership assistance to diverse communities will be “an important focus for comparing supply and demand so that FHA remains a strong force in providing homeownership opportunities buying your first home,” he added.
The Senate appears ready to act quickly on the nominations. Olson said this is important and an encouraging sign as the second Trump administration will begin its work on Monday.
Earlier this week, a letter in support of Turner’s nomination was co-signed by 23 housing associations. These include the Association of Mortgage Bankers (MBA), the National Association of Real Estate Agents (NAR), the American Land Title Association (ALTA), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the National Association of Reverse Mortgage Lenders (NRMLA) and the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI).
“With the U.S. in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, HUD stands ready to play a critical role in addressing our nation’s housing shortage and ensuring that all Americans have access to safe, decent, and affordable homes” , the letter said. “Mr. Turner understands the value of strengthening public-private partnerships and working with stakeholders to expand housing supply.”
