Trump’s Housing Pick Stuck to Broad Strokes in His Senate Confirmation Hearing

Scott Turner, who has limited public experience in housing policy, had stayed out of the limelight until Thursday.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development nominee Scott Turner is sworn in during his confirmation hearing.

Bill Clark/AP

Scott Turner’s confirmation hearing on Thursday was the first real opportunity for senators to get a sense of his plans to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

But Turner largely avoided committing to specific policies, focusing instead on sweeping goals of streamlining HUD’s funding and eliminating “ineffective” programs.

“What I do support is maximizing the budget and making sure that programs that we do have are meeting the intended needs,” Turner said, adding that he did not believe that was currently happening.