BEN CARSON, a celebrated neurosurgeon and unsuccessful presidential candidate, had no experience in political office or housing policy before Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It was unclear what Dr Carson, a longtime sceptic of government assistance, and of social engineering more generally, would do with an agency that funds rental-assistance schemes for the poor, only half of whom actually live in cities—despite what the department’s name would suggest. The administration proposed a 13% cut in HUD funding in its first budget. Dr Carson seemed not to know how individual programmes would be affected when testifying before Congress. HUD, with its annual budget of $46bn is a tiddler compared with other federal departments, but in several ways it is a sort of miniature version of the Trump administration.
In the nine months since he took the post, Dr Carson has stayed inconspicuous and inscrutable. The agency seems directionless. Only four of the 13 top positions, which must be...Continue reading
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