Ben Carson Thursday drew on his personal experiences to endorse a government role in housing and social services in the confirmation hearing for his nomination to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development, but he also expressed interest in cutting regulations to make building housing cheaper.
“I do believe that government can play a very important role” in aiding the poor, the former neurosurgeon said in an ad-libbed opening statement that centered on his personal experiences with poverty.
Government programs, he did warn, can create dependency among beneficiaries. But he also stated that the incoming administration has an opportunity to change that through a “holistic” approach to helping people in need.
One such government role that he identified as important was HUD’s efforts to reduce lead in housing. “There’s a tremendous nexus” between health and the housing environment, he explained.
In his prepared remarks, Carson placed emphasis on boosting affordable housing by reforming land-use regulations. Those can decrease housing supply and prevent workers from moving to areas with jobs, he said.
Carson also mentioned a need to overhaul regulations that increase the cost of new homes, as well as rules on mortgages that have made lenders fearful of selling loans to government insurers, such as the Federal Housing Administration, and lowering credit availability.
