Rep. Marcia Fudge, the former Congressional Black Caucus chair, is the incoming Biden administration’s choice as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
If confirmed, the Ohio Democrat would be just the second Black woman to lead department. Patricia Harris served in that role under President Jimmy Carter.
“If I were to be named, certainly it’s an honor and a privilege to be asked to be in a president’s Cabinet,” Fudge told CNN. “It is something that probably in my wildest dreams I never would have thought about. So if I can help this president in any way possible, I’m more than happy.”
Fudge, 68, who currently serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, has a long history of championing civil and human rights.
“We are relieved knowing that the same determination Rep. Fudge brought to defending hungry families from cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be brought to tackle one of the biggest looming threats facing Americans during this economic crisis: evictions and housing insecurity,” the CBC said in a statement.
Her selection reflects President-elect Biden’s attempt to fulfill a campaign promise of assembling the most diverse Cabinet and staff “in American history.”
The president-elect this week also nominated retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense. If confirmed, Lloyd would become the first African American to serve in that role.
Biden also picked Xavier Becerra, who is Hispanic, as secretary of Health and Human Services, and Alejandro Mayorkas, whose parents immigrated from Cuba to the U.S., for secretary of Homeland Security.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Black woman, was tapped as ambassador to the United Nations.
