Gallego Tests Trump's Housing and Urban Development Pick Scott Turner

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) questioned President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Scott Turner, during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Banking Committee.

Sen. Gallego began his questioning by noting, "Arizona is at the forefront of housing scarcity on all fronts, whether it is apartments, whether it is housing, whether it is new or old, and it not just in metro areas, even our rural areas."

As a result, he reminded Turner of the Housing Vouchers Fairness Act, which the Arizona Senator introduced while serving in the House with Representative Dina Titus (D-NV). This act would reallocate housing vouchers to states with higher demand.

Gallego asked Turner if he would reallocate unused vouchers. The HUD nominee said he is committed to working with Gallego and investigating the issue more deeply.

Next, the Arizona Senator touched upon federally subsidized housing for illegal aliens, to which he said, "I agree with a lot of my colleagues here: If you are an illegal alien, you should not be receiving subsidized housing. If you are two illegal immigrants living together, you should not receive any federal subsidized housing. But I am concerned about mixed-status families, and that happens a lot in our world."

As a result, Gallego sought assurance from Turner that such cases would be handled appropriately, to which Turner answered, "One thing if confirmed by this Committee as the Secretary of HUD, we have to take care of American citizens and American families. It is not only the right thing to do; it is not just what we are called to do, but it is the law. Even right now, we are not serving the amount of American people and American families that we have been called to serve."

Moreover, Turner emphasized that making difficult decisions will be part of the job "because we do not like to tear up families," and also reiterated that "we have an obligation to serve the American people and uphold the laws on the books."

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.