HUD Secretary Scott Turner Faces Clash in Senate

homeless data – A Senate hearing turned heated as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand pressed HUD Secretary Scott Turner on a homeless report delayed over a year.

A Senate Democrat sharply rebuked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner on Thursday, accusing him of repeatedly deflecting questions about results by returning to the Biden administration during a key budget hearing.

Turner testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee to answer questions tied to the department’s 2027 budget request.. After his opening remarks, Sen.. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said she agrees with certain goals but challenged Turner’s approach.. She then zeroed in on a central issue: HUD’s “homeless data report” had not yet been submitted and was already a year overdue.

Gillibrand argued that the report would help determine whether the Trump administration’s housing efforts are working.. As the exchange progressed. she pressed Turner on what. specifically. his department has achieved—particularly given that homelessness figures have been a politically and policy-sensitive metric.

Turner responded by pointing to a prior benchmark that he attributed to the Biden administration.. He referenced HUD’s statement that 770. 000 people were homeless at one given time. describing it as occurring “with record funding.” He then argued that even with that funding. street homelessness increased.

Gillibrand pushed back immediately, insisting Turner should focus on his own performance rather than comparing himself to the previous administration.. She said Turner has been in the job for more than a year and asked whether homelessness numbers have actually decreased—whether the United States still has figures in the 700. 000 range. or higher.

As Gillibrand continued pressing for clarity on results, she also criticized Turner for framing the delayed report in terms of what he did not like about the earlier administration. The back-and-forth escalated when she told him not to dwell on the past and to show what his policies have produced.

Turner then claimed the report would have been available by now if not for what he described as an “unprecedented” government shutdown. He also suggested that ongoing litigation involving the administration has delayed the release.

Gillibrand questioned how litigation could be relevant to the timeline for a homeless data report, but Turner did not directly answer. Instead, he returned to his broader criticisms of the Biden administration, again emphasizing “record funding” during that period.

The confrontation reached a breaking point when Gillibrand told Turner, “Stop talking about Biden!” and accused him of avoiding accountability.. She characterized his responses as inaccurate. unhelpful. and disruptive to the committee’s work. telling him to address his record rather than providing excuses.

Turner’s replies continued to place the emphasis on prior administration actions and on reasons he said were outside his control.. Gillibrand kept urging him to explain what has changed under his leadership. underscoring the committee’s insistence on data that can show whether policy shifts are delivering measurable outcomes.

The hearing highlighted a broader Washington tension over housing policy: whether officials are being evaluated on promises and funding levels. or on verified. timely reporting that can be used to assess progress.. With the homeless data report still delayed. Gillibrand’s argument is that lawmakers and the public are being left without the evidence needed to judge the administration’s effectiveness.

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