Sherrod Brown likens Ben Carson to a 21st-century Marie Antoinette

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) delivered blistering opening remarks during Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson's hearing Thursday before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. "I voted to confirm you," Brown said at one point. "I'm not sure I made the right decision."

After citing a litany of controversies in the department, Brown told Carson: "Instead of taking responsibility, Mr. Secretary, you seem to want to blame others" — a reference to a Carson's numerous excuses for using the HUD budget to order a $31,000 dining table. "Your wife picked out the furniture without knowing the price," Brown counted off. "Your spokesman said something, but not you. You shouldn't be blamed for not listening to your ethics lawyers. The press is unfair — it goes on and on and on and on."

Brown then added bluntly: "I think you need to take responsibility and get things right."

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He wasn't finished yet. The furniture came up again as Brown said: "There's no funding for capital spending, for public housing, despite a backlog of needed repairs of tens of billions of dollars. Under your leadership, Secretary Carson, HUD has decided a wobbly chair in a private D.C. dining room requires the urgent attention of no fewer than 16 staffers and thousands — thousands — of taxpayer dollars."

To further make his point, Brown said: "Unsafe and unsanitary conditions in public housing that put working families and children at risk? Not our problem, you say. Let them use vouchers. Sounds rather [18th century], doesn't it?" Watch the entire scolding here, via CSPAN.