More On Marcia Fudge’s Retirement, A Rare Biden Administration Departure

United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge announced on Monday that she would be stepping down from her position on March 22. The first Black woman HUD secretary since the Carter administration over 40 years ago, Fudge spent many years in Ohio politics, including over a decade representing the state in Congress before Biden appointed her.

Fudge spoke to USA Today about her decision, citing personal reasons for her decision to resign and stating that she wants to spend more time with her family, particularly her 92-year-old mother. Before joining the Biden administration, Fudge represented Ohio in the House of Representatives, where she served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the House subcommittee on elections, among other roles. Discussing her plan to return to Ohio upon her retirement, Fudge told USA Today, “It’s time to go home.” Despite her long career in politics and government, she indicated that her retirement would be permanent, declaring, “Don’t look for me to ever be on another ballot or another appointee or anything like that.”

Fudge’s retirement is a rare departure for the Biden administration, which has seen most of its top officials remain in office throughout the president’s term. The White House had requested last fall that all cabinet secretaries either step down before the 2024 election year or stay for the remainder of the Biden term; Fudge initially agreed to stay but changed her mind due to consideration of her mother’s age. The Biden campaign seeks to point toward this stability as it runs against former President Donald Trump, who has been criticized by a number of his former cabinet officials and top aides. Fudge has expressed her satisfaction with her accomplishments and the timing of her retirement, telling USA Today, “I do believe strongly that I have done just about everything I could do at HUD for this administration as we go into this crazy, silly season of an election.”

Biden praised Fudge for increasing the housing supply, lowering housing costs in the United States, and fighting against racism in housing. 

“On Day 1,” The New York Times reported he said in a statement about her, “Marcia got to work rebuilding the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and over the past three years she has been a strong voice for expanding efforts to build generational wealth through homeownership and lowering costs and promoting fairness for America’s renters.” 

The current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford, D-04, was also among the people to praise Fudge’s time as the leader of HUD, stating, “Under her leadership, the agency has supported nearly a quarter of a million Black people in purchasing a home and has taken significant steps to root out racial bias in the home appraisal process.”

As parting advice for her agency and whoever may lead it, Fudge has urged HUD to focus on tackling the nation’s homelessness crisis. Having done her part to address this issue and others related to housing in the U.S., Fudge now leaves those tasks to someone else as she retires after a long career in public life.