President-elect of the United States Joe Biden is expected to name U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio) as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to reporting at the Washington Post and New York Times.
As the nominee-designate to lead HUD, Fudge is coming off of a 12-year career in Congress representing Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Cleveland and Akron. Prior to serving in Congress, Fudge earned a law degree from Cleveland State University Cleveland–Marshall College of Law, and entered politics in 2000 after being elected mayor of Cleveland-area suburb Warrensville Heights, becoming the first female and first African-American mayor of the city.
Fudge previously served as the chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who unexpectedly died of a brain aneurysm in 2008. Local Democratic leaders forwarded Fudge’s name as a replacement for Jones on the ballot in a special election, and she became the 11th District Representative in November, 2008. In Congress, Fudge has served on several different House committees including for agriculture, administration and education and labor.
Fudge has declined to confirm her selection as HUD Secretary, telling reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that she would be “honored and privileged” to serve in Biden’s cabinet according to the Post. Fudge was reportedly also under consideration to lead the Department of Agriculture under Biden.
