Watch: Gillibrand Grills HUD Sec. Turner: “Stop With The Excuses, Just Explain Your Record

**Watch the exchange here ** Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), grilled Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner over his failure to show measurable progress on housing affordability and homelessness after a year in office – and demanded accountability after the secretary repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for his own failures. The exchange laid bare the truth: The administration does not care about lowering the cost of living for working Americans and has no evidence to prove otherwise. Watch key moments of the exchange here and find a transcript below: ON TAKING OWNERSHIP OVER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING RECORD AND LAWLESSNESS, INSTEAD OF BLAMING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: GILLIBRAND: I just don’t want to hear about what you don’t like about the Biden administration. You’re in charge. You have a vision. Let’s see it. Let’s see the results. SEC. TURNER: Good, and you know, I do. I thank God that I’m in charge so we can do something different. Because the plays that were ran before I got here, they failed. I’ve been here. Let me speak, if you will. I got here. You said I have been here a little bit over a year, but you all had during the Biden administration four years. GILLIBRAND: Stop talking about Biden. Talk about your record. This is so inaccurate, unhelpful, and doesn’t let this committee do our job. […] SEC. TURNER: The point in time report would be out right now if we did not have a government shutdown. Irregardless of all of that, during the Biden administration, record funding— GILLIBRAND: Oh, my God, if you talk about—it’s like two children saying “I didn’t do it, my brother did it.” Stop with the excuses. Just explain your record. ON FAILURE TO HELP NEW YORKERS FACING HOMELESSNESS: SEC. TURNER: Record homelessness. We have to do something different. If after I’m gone, if it’s still record funding and record homelessness— GILLIBRAND: You know what? After you’re gone is too late for the families that are suffering in New York today. SEC. TURNER: It’s gonna get better. GILLIBRAND: Do you know what it’s like to be a homeless little girl who has to have a Girl Scout troop just for other homeless little girls, because that’s all they have? That’s the only consistency they have in their life. SEC. TURNER: I do understand, It’s happened in my family. Yes, ma’am, I do understand. GILLIBRAND: I need to know if your stuff is working. SEC. TURNER: I’m not talking about what I heard. I’m talking to you about what I know. And what I do know, the housing first model failed. Record funding, record homelessness. I don’t care what administration it is, you would not run your own household budget this way. GILLIBRAND: I get it. You’ve been in charge for over a year, I just want to see results. SECURING A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AS EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS WIND DOWN GILLIBRAND: We agree that one of the programs that we think does work is being able to provide vouchers, tenant protection vouchers. Tell me, will HUD issue guidance for these tenant protection vouchers? SEC. TURNER: Senator Gillibrand, I have talked to my team, and they have assured me that we will take care of those tenants that are in need for their voucher situation. GILLIBRAND: But will you issue the guidance for the vouchers? SEC. TURNER: We will take care of those that are in need. My team has assured me. And we’re happy to work with you if you want more information. GILLIBRAND: I do want more information. I want much more information. SEC. TURNER: I’m telling you, we have been assured that we will take care of those tenants that are in need. GILLIBRAND: Okay, so here you go. You’ve made a promise. You’re going to take care of them. SEC. TURNER: And we will keep it. GILLIBRAND: You want to take a different tack. You don’t want to use the vouchers is what I hear you’re saying. SEC. TURNER: I did not say that. GILLIBRAND: Well, let me know, because we would like the vouchers to be used, number one. And if you’re not going to use them, and you’re going to take care of them, I would like to know within the next few months that you have done so. SEC. TURNER: Done. ###