For Immediate Release 
December 5, 2016

President-Elect Donald J. Trump Intends to Nominate Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

(New York, NY) - President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Dr. Ben Carson to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
 
Dr. Carson is a distinguished national leader who overcame his troubled youth in the inner city of Detroit to become a renowned neurosurgeon who served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. 

“I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development," said President-elect Trump. "Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”

“I am honored to accept the opportunity to serve our country in the Trump administration,” said Dr. Carson. “I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need. We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring that our nation’s housing needs are met.”
 

Ben Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 18, 1951. While his mother lacked access to a quality education, she encouraged her sons in their scholastic pursuits and instilled the value of hard work. Carson graduated with honors from Southwestern High School, where he also became a senior commander in the school's ROTC program. He earned a full scholarship to Yale University and graduated in 1973 with a B.A. degree in psychology.  
 
Carson then enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, choosing to become a neurosurgeon. Dr. Carson became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33 and earned fame for his groundbreaking work separating conjoined twins.
 
Twenty years ago, Carson and his wife Candy started the Carson Scholars Fund, which is now active in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has provided more than 7,300 scholarships since 1994 to students from all backgrounds that achieve at the highest academic levels and community service. It also encompasses the Reading Room program and reading rooms have been placed throughout the country to stimulate a love for reading, especially in those who are underserved.
 
In 2000, the Library of Congress selected Dr. Carson as one of its "Living Legends." The following year, CNN and Time magazine named Dr. Carson as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists. In 2006, he received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP. In February 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Carson the Ford's Theatre Lincoln Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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American Bridge 21st Century

American Bridge Statement On Trump's Nomination of Ben Carson As HUD Secretary

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Donald Trump's nomination of Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: 

"Just a few weeks ago, Ben Carson admitted he isn't qualified to serve in the administration. And as HUD Secretary, Carson -- who has described public housing as 'communist' -- would have control over housing policy and the power to shatter the lives of millions of Americans. 

"Trump didn't pick Carson for his policy expertise, so it was probably Carson's willingness to boost Trump's real estate interests that sealed the deal. But Carson's openness to corruption and proclivity for bigotry aren't qualifications. For once, Ben Carson is right: he has no place in government."
Democratic National Committee

DNC Statement on Trump nominating Ben Carson to Lead HUD

Donald Trump today named Ben Carson as his choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is the same Ben Carson whose top advisor said he would not be able to do the job, arguing that “Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency” and the “last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency.” Carson also does not believe in the mission of the agency he’s been tapped to lead, once calling President Johnson’s Great Society – the set of programs that lifted millions out of poverty and created HUD – a “failure.”

Even more embarrassing – Donald Trump repeatedly called Ben Carson a “pathological liar,” questioned his faith and temperament, and said Carson didn’t have any “aptitude to do any of the deals that you have to do.”

“Ben Carson is not qualified for this or any other cabinet post, all you have to do is ask him.  And Donald Trump’s agenda for HUD is clear now that he’s tapped someone who doesn’t believe in the mission of the agency he’s supposed to lead. After all, Trump himself was sued by the government for housing discrimination in the 1970s for refusing to rent to African-American and Latino families.

Americans deserve a leader committed to building strong communities and providing access to quality affordable homes. Millions of Americans count on HUD and Donald Trump has had little regard for their well-being, both as a developer and now the president-elect.” – DNC Deputy Communications Director Eric Walker

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