Ben Carson, a retired surgeon-turned-politician who ran for president in 2016 before becoming President Donald Trump. US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary, is the frontrunner to lead the agency and, according to a report published by Politico.
Citing sources familiar with the change, the newspaper reported Friday that Carson “is a favorite to return to the role if he wants to.” Carson was one of the first cabinet-level appointees in the Trump administration to remain in his role throughout the Trump administration, and he served as one of the president’s top picks for the campaigns for both the 2020 and 2024 cycles.
Amidst rumors earlier this week that he was being considered for the surgeon general position, Carson dismissed those rumors in a Nov. 17 post on social media. Xsaying “contrary to reports, I will not be working as a general surgeon.”
Carson’s return to HUD could be interesting US Senate Republicans will oversee the nomination and confirmation process, especially after Trump’s pick for attorney general – House of Representatives member Matt Gaetz – was announced and resigned in just eight days. But Carson himself has been hot and cold in the role, even while serving in it.
In 2019 as Trump was putting together his second presidential campaign, Carson had indicated that he planned to leave the administration at the end of his first term and would like to return to the private sector. However, the following year and in the final months of the 2020 campaign during a speech in Atlanta, reporters were able to write notes on Carson’s station that were not mentioned during his appearance.
“I am very loyal to you and after winning I hope to stay in your office,” read the notes, apparently designed for a meeting with the president. “I’m not happy with the way [the White House Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO)] owns my agency.”
However, Carson remains on the path to the housing crisis following the 2020 election. His name was introduced in line a The Heritage Foundation a policy playbook dedicated to housing as part of “Project 2025,” which creates a possible blueprint for housing policy in a new, successive administration. Trump and his campaign have aimed to distance themselves from the playbook in the run-up to the election.
During her tenure as HUD secretary, Carson oversaw the rollback of Barack Obama’s tenure ensuring the continuation of the fair housing law that was re-implemented by the Biden administration, initially advocating for changes to local laws to allow more construction before changing course around the area. president, has expressed agreement with the president in removing state-sponsored businesses from the conservation agency, and has repeatedly sought to reduce the agency’s budget.
If ultimately nominated and confirmed, Carson will be the only first-term cabinet secretary to return for Trump’s second administration, and in the same role he served in the first. Reports from other media outlets say other names have emerged as potential candidates, however, including Bill Pulte and former HUD Deputy Secretary. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) commissioner Brian Montgomery.
In the past few cycles, the HUD secretary pick wasn’t officially announced until early December, but the Trump-Vance transition has been moving quickly to name nominees for the top positions.
After his election victory in 2016, Trump first floated Carson’s name in November, but he was announced in the first week of December and finally confirmed the following March.
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