President-elect Joe Biden will reportedly nominate Rep. Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The appointment of HUD secretary would make Fudge the second Black woman to lead the agency.
Politico exclusively reported on Tuesday that sources confirmed that Biden would select the Ohio Democrat. A formal announcement is expected later in the week. She is the second Black person named to Biden’s cabinet this week after Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, a retired military officer chosen by Biden to run the Pentagon.
Fudge demurred when approached by reporters on Capitol Hill about the possibility of leading HUD. If confirmed by the Senate, she would succeed the current secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, who has been in the role since 2017.
“I can’t give you a comment. Let me just say that, if I were to be named, certainly it’s an honor and a privilege to be asked to be a president’s cabinet,” she said, according to USA Today.
It was also noted during the exchange that the Democrats will have a slim majority in the 117th Congress. Fudge, who has served in Ohio’s 11th District since 2008, insisted that her seat was in a “safe district” and there was no cause for concern.