Burn:
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Thursday slammed Housing and Urban DevelopmentSecretary Ben Carson for failing to take full responsibility for a series of recent embarrassments at the agency, including the decision to spend $31,000 of taxpayer funds on a dining room set for his office.
Carson said at a congressional hearing earlier this week that his wife had been in charge of the redecorating effort, and he was “as surprised as anyone” to find out the furniture came with such a high price tag.
“Instead of taking responsibility, Mr. Secretary, you seem to want to blame others,” Brown said in his opening remarks during a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing.
“Blaming others seems to be the order of the day in the swamp,” Brown later continued. “Under your leadership, Secretary Carson, HUD has decided a wobbly chair in a private D.C. dining room requires the urgent attention of no fewer than 16 staffers and thousands of taxpayer dollars.”
Carson had previously called the old furniture “dangerous.”
A request to refund the purchase was submitted only after news outlets reported on the extravagant purchase, which a spokesman for Carson initially said would not be returned. Federal guidelines put a $5,000 cap on office decor.
Carson’s subsequent effort to replace the old furniture came out to $3,500.
He wasn't finished yet. The furniture came up again as Brown said: "There's no funding for capital spending, for public housing, despite a backlog of needed repairs of tens of billions of dollars. Under your leadership, Secretary Carson, HUD has decided a wobbly chair in a private D.C. dining room requires the urgent attention of no fewer than 16 staffers and thousands — thousands — of taxpayer dollars."
To further make his point, Brown said: "Unsafe and unsanitary conditions in public housing that put working families and children at risk? Not our problem, you say. Let them use vouchers. Sounds rather [18th century], doesn't it?" Watch the entire scolding here, via CSPAN. Jeva Lange
Also, happy to see Brown own up to this:
Brown later told the HUD secretary he regretted supporting his confirmation last year.
“Mr. Secretary, as you remember, I voted to confirm you,” Brown told Carson Wednesday. “Four other Dems on this committee voted to confirm you. I’m not sure I made the right decision.”
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