US Senate Committee Approves Ben Carson as Housing Department Nominee

The US Senate Banking Committee approved former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson to be Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), committee Chairman Senator Mike Crapo said in a statement on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Retired neurosurgeon Carson was criticized by a number of politicians, including House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, because of being a "disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice to lead a department as complex and consequential as Housing and Urban Development."

"Now that his [Carson’s] nomination has been voted favorably out of the Committee, it is my hope that the full senate will follow suit in a timely manner," Crapo stated.

Carson ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination but endorsed the eventual nominee shortly after suspending his own campaign.