Joe Biden will nominate Representative Marcia Fudge (D., Ohio) for the post of Housing and Urban Development Secretary, multiple outlets confirmed on Tuesday evening.
Fudge, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, was lobbying to be the first African American Secretary of Agriculture. The Ohio representative appeared to dismiss leading HUD in an interview last month.
“As this country becomes more and more diverse, we’re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in,” Fudge told Politico at the time. “You know, it’s always ‘we want to put the Black person in Labor or HUD.’”
The incoming Biden administration could re-implement the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which obligates suburban towns to analyze ethnic makeup, income-level, and other factors when applying to HUD for development grants. While Democrats have supported the AFFH as a way to combat discrimination against minorities, some conservatives contend that the rule harms the ability of suburban towns to govern themselves.
Current HUD Secretary Ben Carson and President Trump revoked AFFH over the summer. Democrats have condemned Trump’s subsequent comments on low-income housing as offensive.
“I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,” Trump announced in July via Twitter. “Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!”