Senate confirms Trump HUD nominee
Twelve down, only another 1,300 to go…
Slowly but surely, we are seeing Donald Trump’s nominees approved. As slow as this process has been, if you can believe it, it is quicker than when Trump served in 2017.
The latest to make it through is Scott Turner, who Trump nominated to run Housing and Urban Development.
He’s In
Turner is a former NFL player as well as being a lawmaker in the state of Texas.
He has been confirmed as the 19th Secretary of HUD.
The vote came down almost along party lines, with Senator Fetterman (D-PA) and Senator Welch (D-VT) crossing over for a 55-44 final vote.
This was very similar to his committee vote, having gotten out of committee with a 13-11 vote.
Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) advocated for Turner during his hearing, stating, “It’s time for a blue-collar comeback, and the man who will be leading that comeback at the Department of Housing and Urban Development is Scott Turner, someone with a remarkable life story and the skill set necessary to enact change.”
When Turner addressed the committee at his hearing, he stated, “The challenges that HUD faces are vital to our nation as well as personal to me. These are not just things that I heard about or read about.
“These are things that my family and I have experienced through the years, and I believe that that perspective would be very beneficial to HUD as I become the leader, if confirmed by this committee.”
The vote for his nomination just shows you that Democrats are not really interested in working with Trump at all, as there was no reason to resist Turner in this role, but they voted “no” just for the sake of trying to block him.
After the confirmation came through, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) took a victory lap, stating, “According to CNN, President Trump is getting more cabinet picks confirmed so far than the average president in the modern era – another success story.
“And we believe it’s critical that Republicans in the Senate majority stay tough and keep their foot on the gas to confirm all of the remaining nominees as quickly as possible so we can continue President Trump’s important work here at the White House and across our entire federal government.”
A president’s cabinet is made up of the Vice President and 15 department heads, all vital to the success of the administration. In all, there are more than 1,300 appointments that must be approved by the Senate.
Thune is excited about 12 being approved so far, but this is quite frustrating for me and it does not help the administration get rolling on its agenda.
There has to be a quicker way, but sadly, our politicians are more interested in obstructionism than they are in getting things done for the American people.
