Scott Turner, the nominee-designate to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the incoming Trump administration, has previously expressed dim and skeptical views about federal programs designed to assist people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
These views could illustrate a lack of commitment to HUD programs that aim to offer assistance to Americans facing housing-related economic challenges, according to analysis and expert interviews from ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet. The report was sourced based on “a review of legislative records and of Turner’s public speeches, podcast appearances and sermons at the Plano, Texas, megachurch where he is a pastor,” ProPublica explained.
The report cites Turner’s history as a legislator in the Texas House of Representatives, where he voted against multiple programs analogous to certain federal programs he would oversee as HUD secretary.
“Turner supported a bill ensuring landlords could refuse apartments to applicants because they received federal housing assistance,” the report stated. “He opposed a bill to expand affordable rental housing. He voted against funding public-private partnerships to support the homeless and against two bills that called merely to study homelessness among young people and veterans.”
Turner has expressed skepticism on multiple occasions about the ability of government programs to assist the poor. In a 2023 appearance on the faith-oriented “Well Versed World Podcast,” Turner described welfare programs as “harmful” and “one of the most destructive things for the family,” according to the report. He repeated similar misgivings as a pastor at the influential Prestonwood Baptist Church.
When reached, representatives for Turner dismissed the report, saying that passing judgment on Turner’s potential actions as HUD secretary before he has weighed in during expected confirmation hearings exposes the publication’s ideological bias.
“Of course ProPublica would try and paint a negative picture of Mr. Turner before he is even given the opportunity to testify,” a representative for Turner said. “We would expect nothing less from a publication that solely serves as a liberal mouthpiece.”
Some experts who spoke with the outlet contend that Turner’s views are in conflict with the broader mission of HUD.
“If, at a fundamental level, you believe that people getting assistance with their rent when they’re very poor and struggling, if you think that’s actually dependence and a bad thing, you’re going to try to undermine those programs,” Shamus Roller, executive director of the National Housing Law Project, told the outlet.
But one of Turner’s former Democratic colleagues in the Texas House endorsed him based on experiences working with him on a committee.
“My sense of him is he will try to help people,” said Richard Peña Raymond, who represents western Webb County, including the city of Laredo, in the legislature. “I do think he’ll do a good job.”
Turner’s outlook on such programs appear to be derived from his youth. He grew up outside of Dallas and described himself in a 2022 podcast appearance as “a young kid from a broken home, from a poor family.” He parlayed his athletic skill into a successful career in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons prior to entering politics.
While still playing football, Turner attempted to pivot to politics by serving as an intern in the office of a member of the California House of Representatives. He unsuccessfully ran for a state congressional seat in 2006 before moving back to Texas, where he was elected to its legislature in 2013.
It was there that he “solidified his position as a deeply conservative member opposed to many government interventions into the housing market,” the outlet reported based on its review of legislative voting records.
Shortly after his nomination was announced by President-elect Donald Trump, leaders in the U.S. Senate weighed in on Turner’s nomination.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — the current ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, who is expected to become its chairman in the new term — said he looks forward to working with Turner and swiftly addressing his nomination. And Ben Carson, the HUD secretary during Trump’s first term, lauded Turner as the “perfect” pick for the position.
But Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took a more cautious stance. She said she looked forward to hearing Turner’s perspectives on current housing issues that HUD will need to address over the next four years.
