President-Elect Trump Taps Dr. Ben Carson as HUD Secretary, MHI Issues Statement Lauding Choice
Donald Trump chooses retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Monday to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
In a statement Trump said he was “thrilled to nominate” Carson, describing his “brilliant mind” and his passion “about strengthening communities and families within those communities.”
As was to be expected, the Democrats who have opposed every cabinet post nominated by Trump thus far, have bemoaned the selection by pointing out that Dr. Carson does not have the “political” experience and expertise they deem necessary to run a large government bureaucracy like HUD.
New York Sen. Charles Schumer said, “someone who is anti-government as him is a strange fit for housing secretary, to say the least.” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called him a “disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice.”
Perhaps the political class has memory of a quote by Dr. Carson at one of the Republican primary debates when he said, “I’m the only candidate to remove half a brain. Although you would think if you went to Washington, that someone beat me to it.”
Dr. Ben Carson to be HUD Secretary
MHI, the only national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry has endorsed the selection of Dr. Ben Carson to head HUD, the major regulator of manufactured housing.
ARLINGTON, Va.,Dec.05,2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Richard Jennison, President & CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), issued the following statement on Dr. Ben Carson being chosen to be nominated as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
“I congratulate Dr. Ben Carson upon the announcement that President-Elect Trump will nominate Carson as the Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. MHI appreciates President-Elect Trump’s recognition that it will take a strong leader with national prominence to change the direction of our national housing policy and break down the barriers that have hindered the availability and affordability of housing across the country. We are enthusiastic about the high profile that the President-Elect has placed on this important agency with Dr. Carson’s nomination.
We look forward to working with Dr. Carson and his team to ensure he recognizes that a robust manufactured housing market is critical to increasing the availability of affordable housing, which is in short supply in many parts of the country. During this critical time for our nation’s housing markets, manufactured housing provides a reliable, affordable supply of homes that meet a variety of housing and lifestyle needs.
As the primary regulator for manufactured housing, we must ensure that HUD regulations are reformed to foster housing affordability, uniformity and ease of compliance, and to minimize discrepancies and overlap with state and local codes. We hope that Dr. Carson and his team at HUD will revisit recent regulations that are cost prohibitive for consumers seeking to purchase a manufactured home, including the on-site rule, installation guidance and energy efficiency regulations. We also encourage him to address regulatory barriers to manufactured housing finance.
The housing crisis extends beyond inner cities. We sincerely hope that President-Elect Trump and Dr. Carson will dedicate resources and attention to addressing the housing challenges, including those in rural America, and we stand ready to assist them in their efforts.”
Manufactured homes serve many housing needs in a wide range of communities–from rural areas where housing alternatives (rental or purchase) are few and construction labor is scarce/and or costly, to higher-cost metropolitan areas. Manufactured homes are a critical source of affordable housing for more than 22 million working families. The cost of a manufactured home is up to 35 percent less than the cost of a comparable site-built home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The affordability of manufactured homes has long made them the preferred choice for many families.
