Meet Marcia Fudge, the new HUD Secretary

Earlier this year, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs confirmed Marcia Fudge as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in a 17-7 vote.
The bipartisan vote sends her nomination to the full Senate, where she’s expected to be confirmed. The congresswoman is known throughout Ohio, but this appointment has thrust her into the national spotlight.
Here’s a little bit about her…

Who is she?

Marcia Fudge is a congresswoman representing the 11th district of Ohio, a position in which she’s served since 2008. Prior to being elected to Congress, Fudge was the first female and first African American mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and had worked for the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office. She holds both a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a law degree from Cleveland State University. She’s also served on the House Committee on Agriculture, among others.

What is her goal?

The broad goal of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to create and implement national policy and programs involving housing needs. They advise homeowners and potential homeowners, offer services to the homeless and veterans and enforce fair lending and housing discrimination laws. During her nomination, Fudge mentioned some of her priorities upon taking office, namely that the HUD “will require us to end discriminatory practices in the housing market, and ensure that our fair housing rules are doing what they are supposed to do: opening the door for families, especially families of color who have been systematically kept out in the cold across generations, to buy homes and punch their ticket to the middle class.” This is in concert with President Biden signing several new executive orders addressing racial equity and bias in housing days after taking office.

What’s next?

After confirmation, she plans to push for rental assistance to households at risk of eviction and affordable housing amid the coronavirus crisis. “My first priority as secretary would be to alleviate that crisis and get people the support they need to come back from the edge.”