Dr. Ben Carson, the nominee for HUD Secretary, underwent a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs on January 12, 2017.

The Housing Plus model – that housing providers be integrated with other services as well –  seems to have taken hold with Dr. Carson, as he spoke of HUD needing a holistic approach to helping those in poverty. The retired neurosurgeon spoke to education, health, prison reform, and the need for apprenticeship programs. He mentioned the success of intergovernmental homeless assistance programs and the possibility of HUD partnering with the Departments of Education and Labor under his leadership.

During several moments of the hearing, Dr. Carson spoke of harnessing the private sector, but the Low Income Housing Tax Credit came up specifically during a conversation with Senator David Purdue (R-GA).

“The Low Income Housing Tax Credit…has allowed an enormous number of places to be renovated”, Carson explained. He went on to describe a conversation he had with an unnamed developer in Detroit regarding the success of the LIHTC in clearing the Motor City’s blight, saying “there is a lot of good will in the private sector.”

The budget was a theme throughout the hearing, and Dr. Carson said he plans to make budget cuts. When Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) asked if there were any “sacred cows” at HUD, Dr. Carson responded no, stating that in his time studying the agency, he saw no program as safe from potential cuts. Dr. Carson also quipped, however, that the “rental assistance program is essential.”

Dr. Carson was challenged on his criticism of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, and there wasn’t a definitive answer on whether he would support the fairly new HUD regulation – stating first that he saw it as granting the Federal Government too much power in making local decisions, but later also stating that he would enforce pre-existing fair housing laws.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stated a desire to confirm at least six of the fourteen nominees on Inauguration Day – the earliest the Senate can vote on confirmations. The past four administrations have all experienced a median wait time of one day from inauguration to confirmation with the majority of nominees being confirmed before the end of February. Six of President Obama’s and seven of President Bush’s nominees were confirmed the day of inauguration. With a simple majority required of the Senate, a Republican would have to “defect” for one of President-Elect Trump’s nominees to be rejected.

The full hearing is available to view online.