Senate Confirms Ben Carson as HUD Secretary
Handful of Democrats crossed party lines.
The Senate has confirmed former presidential candidate Ben Carson as Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, 58-41 on Thursday morning.
Carson received yes votes from the following Democrats and Independent: Joe Manchin (WV), Mark warner (VA), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Sherrod Brown (OH), Jon Tester (MT), Joe Donnelly (IN), and Angus King (ME).
The Senate Banking Committee cleared Carson unanimously last January, with him even gaining support from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA):
Warren defended her committee vote amid backlash from progressive outside groups, writing on a Facebook post: “Yes, he is not the nominee I wanted. But ‘the nominee I wanted’ is not the test.”
Warren didn’t vote for Carson during the Senate’s procedural vote on Wednesday, and voted against him again Thursday.
Carson received a lot of support during his hearing after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) asked him about how he plans to best serve those who are on government programs:
“What is the best possible thing we can do for somebody who is on government assistance?” the North Carolina senator asked.
“Get them off of it,” Carson responded.
Carson grew up in poverty, but managed to break free from government assistance by working hard. He attended Yale University and at 33 years old became the “director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Children’s Center.”
After Carson retired from his medical career, he roamed into politics. He ran for president in 2012 and 2016. He threw his support behind President Donald Trump when he decided to withdraw in 2016.
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