The former congresswoman will lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, overseeing new benefits for renters and homeowners amid the pandemic.
The Senate has confirmed Congresswoman to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, placing the longtime Ohio lawmaker in charge of the agency just as Congress passed new benefits for renters and homeowners who have suffered economic losses amid the. Vice President Kamala Harris swore Fudge in on Wednesday afternoon. Fudge, who has represented parts of Cleveland and Akron in the House since 2008, is a former mayor and a longtime advocate for assistance for the needy. She said at her confirmation hearing in January that her first priority would be protecting the millions of people who have fallen behind on rent or mortgages due to loss of income during the pandemic, telling senators that «we cannot afford to allow people in the midst of a pandemic to be put in the streets.» Her confirmation,66 to 34, comes as the Senate is approving a slate of President Biden’s nominees. The upper chamber as attorney general Wednesday afternoon and later voted to confirm North Carolina regulator Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Fudge won bipartisan support for her nomination, including from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said he would support her and Garland. «These aren’t the nominees that any Republican would have picked for these jobs,» McConnell said ahead of the vote. «But the nation needs presidents to be able to stand up a team so long as their nominees are qualified and mainstream.» Meanwhile, McConnell said he will oppose Regan’s nomination and also New Mexico Representative to be interior secretary.
