In a Senate vote of 66-34, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge was confirmed as the first Black woman to lead the embattled Housing and Urban Development agency on Wednesday.
Fudge will have to undo the damage done by former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, who worked in the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported Carson eviscerated fair housing enforcement and other civil rights protections.
Fudge, 68, said in a video statement after she was sworn in Wednesday evening, “The past year has reminded us just how important it is to have a safe and stable place to call home. But, right now — for millions of Americans — that sense of security and peace of mind is out of reach.”
The politician will focus on reinstating some of the Obama-era policies that helped communities of color and reduced racial disparities in housing and homelessness. In the current pandemic, she will help families avoid eviction.
Of course, Fudge’s confirmation did not come without challenges from Republicans who piled on criticisms of her stances on their attitudes toward race, calling her “intemperate.”
Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA) said that her “past rhetoric makes clear that she lacks the temperament to collaborate with Congress, particularly across the aisle, and casts doubt as to whether she wants to.” He then voted against her confirmation, which was his plan all along.
Surprisingly, Tim Scott (R-SC), the lone Black Republican senator, voted for her confirmation. Scott typically votes with his party on such matters.
Secretary Fudge was elected to Congress in 2008. She served as the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and before that was the first Black and first female Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. Her last act as a Congress member was to vote in favor of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Wednesday.
Fudge is the second Black woman in the history of the agency to be appointed to the position. The first was Patricia Roberts Harris, who was appointed HUD Secretary by President Carter in 1977.
