Marcia Fudge sworn in as Housing and Urban Development secretary

Former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) was confirmed as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday afternoon, on a vote of 66 to 34, and she was later sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Fudge told senators during her confirmation hearing in January that her top priority as leader of HUD would be helping the millions of Americans behind on paying their rent or mortgage because of the pandemic. "We cannot afford to allow people in the midst of a pandemic to be put in the streets," she said. The coronavirus stimulus package that passed on Wednesday sets aside $30 billion to assist low-income households pay rent and utilities.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who lives in the district Fudge represented, said she has the experience necessary to lead HUD because she knows "how many neighborhoods and towns have never had the investment they should — because of discrimination, because of redlining, because of decades of policy that funneled resources and jobs away from Black and brown communities."

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