Former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner confirmed to lead HUD

“Former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner confirmed to lead HUD” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner as President Donald Trump’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD is charged with executing housing laws, including helping low-income people find homes and combating housing discrimination. The department was established under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

All voting Republicans, including both of Texas’ senators, supported Turner’s nomination. Two Democrats — Peter Welch of Vermont and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — also supported him in the 55-44 confirmation vote.

“Scott Turner is an accomplished leader, dedicated public servant, and fourth-generation Texan who has consistently demonstrated a strong ability to harness housing and development to create more opportunities and brighter futures,” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said in a statement. “I’m honored to support Scott to lead HUD, and look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”

Turner served in the Texas House from 2013 to 2017. He ran for the speakership but lost to then-Speaker Joe Straus. He declined to run for reelection after challenging Straus.

Turner has described the HUD as an agency failing to meet a dire housing market. During a nomination hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Turner said the agency’s mission “is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality affordable housing serving the most vulnerable of our nation. Yet, as we sit here, we have a housing crisis in our country.”

But he demurred on greater federal investment to lower affordable housing construction costs, saying HUD should be “maximizing the budget,” which is roughly $72 billion for the 9,000-person department. Trump has said that cutting federal spending is a top priority and tapped the billionaire donor Elon Musk to run a highly unconventional operation to slash spending.

As a member of the Texas House, Turner was a skeptic for government assistance to alleviate poverty. He called welfare “one of the most destructive things for the family.” He refused to support legislation to help tenants on housing assistance find apartments and to study homelessness.

After serving in the Texas House, Turner served in the first Trump administration as director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The council was created in 2018 to “encourage public and private investment in urban and economically distressed areas, including qualified opportunity zones,” according to the executive order creating the council.

In the role, Turner worked on Opportunity Zones, which were low-income areas with investment potential encouraged by tax cuts. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included the creation of Opportunity Zones and is up for renewal this year.

During his nomination hearing, Turner said a member of his family was impacted by homelessness, asserting that “these aren’t just things that I’ve heard about. These are things that my family and I have experienced through the years.”

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/turner-confirmation-hud-secretary/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

SUMMARY: Demonstrators gathered at the Texas State Capitol on Wednesday to protest Project 2025 and President Trump’s executive orders as part of the nationwide action #50501. Project 2025, from the Heritage Foundation, aims to reshape the federal government by eliminating agencies and targeting minority groups and diversity initiatives. Protesters expressed frustration over their representatives’ lack of response and emphasized the need for community action. Signs supported immigrants and transgender rights while criticizing Trump and Elon Musk, who is linked to the push to eliminate federal agencies. The rally aimed to foster ongoing activism and engagement beyond the event.

Read the full article

The post 50 rallies in 50 states: National anti-Project 2025 protest held in Austin appeared first on www.kxan.com

SUMMARY: This morning, parents and students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) are protesting against state-appointed leadership, with a call for a “sick out” to signify a day without students in the district. The protest, starting at 8:00 AM, is meant to express the community’s lack of trust in Mike Miles and the appointed board. Concerns include unexpected classroom changes and misdirection of funds, with $870 million in unapproved transactions raising alarms. Parents hope today’s demonstration leads to meaningful change and reminds the appointed officials that they answer to the community. HISD stresses that schools are the safest places for students.

Thousands of HISD students and parents are protesting state-appointed leadership Wednesday with a district-wide “sick-out.”

Source