Senate confirms Rep. Marcia Fudge as housing secretary

By Teddy Grant Published: March 10, 2021

Senate confirms Rep. Marcia Fudge as housing secretary

FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who declined to enter the speaker's race after securing concessions from Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, arrives for the Democratic Caucus leadership elections at the Capitol in Washington. At Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fudge and California Rep. Karen Bass, respectively, are being considered by President-elect Joe Biden to be a part of the administration. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The Senate confirmed Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge on Wednesday to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD], the Associated Press reported.

The former Warrensville Heights mayor has represented parts of Cleveland and Akron since 2008, per the AP.

At her confirmation hearing in January, Fudge said that protecting homeowners and renters who have fallen behind on rent and mortgages as a result of the coronavirus pandemic would be a priority for her, saying, “we cannot afford to allow people in the midst of a pandemic to be put in the streets.”

She was confirmed by the Senate in a 66-34 vote. She will become the second Black woman to serve as HUD Secretary and the first to head the agency in more than 40 years.

The timing of her confirmation aligns with the upcoming passage of the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill that will address housing needs, such as rental and utility assistance.