Trump picks Ben Carson for US housing department
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Ben Carson, his Republican rival in the primary presidential elections, to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Carson, who had previously indicated reluctance to take a position in the incoming administration because of his lack of experience in federal government, accepted Trump’s offer on Monday.
The retired pediatric neurosurgeon endorsed Trump after ending his own presidential bid in March.
Carson, 65, is the first African-American picked by Trump for a cabinet post. His position requires confirmation by the US Senate.
Carson said he was honored to accept the post. "I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need," he said in the statement.
Democrats in Congress criticized Trump for picking Carson, calling him unqualified to take over a $48-billion agency that oversees public housing.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, said on Monday, "Dr. Ben Carson is a disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice to lead a department as complex and consequential as Housing and Urban Development."
Trump, a celebrity businessman who also has no government experience and has never held public office, expressed confidence Carson could do the job.
Born into poverty in Detroit, Michigan, Carson was awarded a scholarship to Yale University to study medicine, and by age 33 he was named director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
The mission of the Department of Housing and Urban Development is to help middle- and low-income people find affordable housing by offering rent subsidies, mortgage assistance and public housing.
The agency also oversees mortgage lending and is responsible for enforcing laws intended to prevent discrimination against those attempting to rent or buy homes.
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