Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge announced her retirement and resignation from her position, effective March 22, 2024, in an email to staff on Monday. Fudge's departure marks only the second original Cabinet member to leave the Biden administration, following former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh's exit last year.
In her email, Fudge described serving as HUD secretary as "the ideal opportunity to culminate a career focused on doing the most good for the most people, including those who have often been left behind or left out." She expressed mixed emotions about her decision to step down.
Speaking to USA Today, Fudge said, "It's time to go home. I do believe strongly that I have done just about everything I could do at HUD for this administration as we go into this crazy, silly season of an election." She also expressed her desire to spend more time with her mother, who turns 93 next month, and relatives in Ohio.
President Joe Biden praised Fudge's "transformational leadership" in a statement, highlighting her efforts to lower housing costs, increase supply, and combat racial discrimination in housing. "Thanks to Secretary Fudge, we've helped first-time homebuyers, and we are working to cut the cost of renting. And there are more housing units under construction right now than at any time in the last 50 years," Biden said.
Fudge's retirement represents a surprising departure from Biden's otherwise stable Cabinet just eight months before the election. It comes just days after White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told POLITICO Playbook that the Cabinet has "people who are committed to this president" and that they have "the team in place."
Housing advocates praised Fudge's tenure, with Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, saying, "Secretary Fudge consistently - and rightfully - says housing is a human right, and her actions at HUD have utilized all administrative levers to make it so. Her signature initiatives at HUD have been addressing homelessness, engaging with and supporting tenant leaders, and reducing the racial wealth gap in homeownership. On each initiative, she has left an indelible mark, moving our nation closer to achieving housing justice."
Before her appointment as HUD secretary, Fudge represented Ohio in Congress from 2008 until 2021, serving as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for two of those years. She had initially expressed interest in leading the Department of Agriculture, lamenting to POLITICO shortly after Biden's election in 2020 that Black policymakers have traditionally been relegated to just a handful of Cabinet positions, including HUD secretary.
The news of Fudge's departure coincides with the release of the White House's budget request, which includes significant funding for housing amid a historic shortage of affordable options. The budget calls for an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the establishment of a new Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit, and new tax credits to boost homeownership.
Fudge emphasized the importance of affordable housing as a bipartisan issue, telling USA Today, "It is not a red or blue issue. Everybody knows that it is an issue so it's not a one-sided issue. It's an American issue."
Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will serve as acting secretary following Fudge's departure, and White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton confirmed that the president will nominate a replacement. However, the struggle to confirm a successor to Walsh in the closely divided Senate could serve as a warning for the Biden administration, as acting Labor Secretary Julie Su has been serving indefinitely in her acting capacity due to a lack of support from all Senate Democrats and the independents who caucus with them.
