Scott Turner is a great choice for Housing and Urban Development

2025 is already shaping up to be an incredible year, as President Trump has already announced some outstanding choices for his cabinet, and I am particularly pleased that he has nominated Scott Turner to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development known as HUD during President Trump’s first term, Scott Turner served as Executive Director of the White House opportunity and revitalization Council, Dr Ben Carson, who served as HUD secretary for President Trump back then, says in quotes, Scott’s life story demonstrates some of The most important qualities of a leader and cabinet secretary. End quote, Carson, he describes Scott as passionate, detail oriented and a steadfast defender of conservative values. These character traits don’t come easy. Ben Carson told us, and in fact, in quotes, he said, They result from years of hard work, faith in God and pushing himself to be the best he can be over the course of decades, is what Ben Carson tells us, but I know it first hand because I’ve known Scott Turner for years as Executive Director of the council. Carson says that Scott worked to unite business, faith, education and community leaders across the country to develop revitalization plans and achieve long term, sustained growth. Oh boy, I tell you, these efforts of Scott Turner then were for America’s forgotten men and women, and this was under Scott’s leadership that Carson reminds us that 16 federal agencies initiated more than 200 policy actions to further this economic growth that President Trump brought, and in particular to our poor communities. Scott played a leading role in the designation of 8764

opportunity zones during the Trump’s first term. And these zones are economically distressed communities, many of which have experienced a lack of investment for decades. They’re defined by individual census tract nominated by America’s governors and certified by the Treasury Secretary, then, via his delegation of that authority to the IRS. It was so successful that many are attributing why Trump did so well with young black men when he came to the election in November. Because of these efforts, he really revitalized our poor communities with Ben Carson and with Scott Turner, under certain conditions, new investments in opportunity zones may be eligible for preferential tax treatment, not handouts. The initiative is not a top down government program, but an incentive to spur private and public investment in America’s underserved communities. Since the establishment of these opportunities zones, revitalization projects have delivered economic and social benefits to millions of Americans that are living in these economically distressed communities. A lot of people for a long time, wonder, How come nothing grows there? It doesn’t grow because there’s too much regulation. There was no incentive to attract people, to come in as businesses and invest in these communities. There are 35 million people across Americans opportunity zones. So I expect that Scott Turner, oh, he’ll, he’ll seek to revise or repeal some of the Biden administration’s regulations that have hindered this type of growth, the development of affordable housing, these this is not rocket science. Some of the things that perhaps could be cut back now through HUD policy with Scott in charge, they include some environmental rules that exacerbate an already cumbersome approval process and reforms to the regulatory framework that cost millions of dollars to navigate. Scott Turner has recently served as the chief visionary officer for JPI companies, and is a leading developer and builder of affordable housing. JPI points out that Scott will be the first Secretary of Housing and Urban Development with direct private sector experience in housing development, bringing a deep understanding of how to build communities and navigate the challenges that have often hindered progress. Scott Turner is deeply honored by this nomination, and I hope him the best success to finally get someone at HUD that actually understands Housing and Urban Development with a freedom philosophy driving his decisions. I.