User:Tieram/sandbox

Marcia Fudge:

References


 * Letters Supporting Confirmation of Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD:

http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/policy/letters/2020/Sign-on_letter_supporting_Fudge_HUD_confirmation.pdf

https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/NLIHC-Letter-of-Support-for-Fudge-January-27.pdf

https://www.housingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NHRA-Fudge-Letter-of-Support.pdf

https://narfocus.com/billdatabase/clientfiles/172/2/4256.pdf


 * Policy Paper by Fudge:

''Fudge, M. L. (2017). Reinvesting in Public Education, a Cornerstone for America’s Success. Harvard Journal on Legislation, 54(2), 399–422.''


 * Legislation by Fudge:

''Health Legislative Issues. (2013). Ethnicity & Disease, 23(2), 259.''


 * Interview with Fudge:

https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/1213/


 * Confirmation Hearing Video:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?508226-1/hud-secretary-council-economic-advisers-chair-nominees-confirmation-hearing

Personal life
'''Fudge was the president of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority from 1996 to 2000, co-chair of the sorority's National Social Action Commission, and a member of its Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. In 2003, she was a member of the Shaker Heights Alumni Association's Hall of Fame Class.'''

Fudge has been a member of the Glenville Church of God, and is now a member of Zion Chapel Baptist Church.

In 2015, Fudge wrote a letter asking for leniency in the sentencing of Lance Mason. Fudge described Mason as "kind," and wrote that "Lance [...] has assured me that something like this will never happen again." Mason subsequently attacked and killed his ex-wife, in 2018, stabbing her 59 times. After the attack, Fudge released a statement saying she condemned the crimes committed by Mason. She said her support for Mason in 2015 was based on the person she knew for almost 30 years, writing that "the person who committed these crimes is not the Lance Mason familiar to me."

Tenure
After Stephanie Tubbs Jones's death on August 20, 2008, a committee of local Democratic leaders selected Fudge as her replacement on the November ballot. This virtually assured her election in the heavily Democratic, black-majority district. Fudge won the November 4 general election, defeating Republican Thomas Pekarek with 85% of the vote. She was unopposed in a November 18 special election for the balance of Jones's fifth term, and won with less than 9,000 votes cast.[citation needed] She was sworn in on November 19, 2008, giving her almost two months' more seniority than the rest of the 2008 House freshman class.

In 2018, ran for election in Ohio's 11th Congressional District against republican candidate Beverly Goldstein. Fudge won with 206,138 votes compared to the 44,486 votes that went to Goldstein.

During her time in congress, Fudge has been a strong advocate for health legislative issues. She sponsored the Measures to Prevent Childhood Obesity Act of 2012, which aimed to address obesity within American youth. In 2017, Fudge also sponsored the resolution on Expressing Support for Designation of September as "National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month ."

Representing a state with much agriculture Fudge has also been a strong advocate for agricultural concerns within the United States. In 2018, she introduced the Collaborative Water and Soil Enhancement Act of 2018 to address the topsoil loss around the country as well as to protect drinking water from agricultural runoff.

After the 2018 midterms, Fudge considered running for Speaker of the House in the 2019 election. She later abandoned the bid and supported Nancy Pelosi.

In 2019, Fudge urged for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to reject the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to eliminate the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) along with support from Ohio representatives Marcy Kaptur, Joyce Beatty, and Tim Ryan. They argued that the proposal would impose hardship on over 61,000 Ohioans who would lose their SNAP benefits.

The following year Fudge expressed additional support for SNAP benefits tweeting that, "It is long past time to increase SNAP benefits by 15% and provide additional funding for nutrition programs that put food on the table .”

In 2020, Fudge ran for reelection in Ohio's 11th Congressional District against republican Laverne Gore. Fudge won the seat with 242,098 votes compared to the 60,323 that Gore received.

Later in September of 2020, the United States House of Representatives passed the Strength in Diversity Act that was introduced by Fudge. The act works to establish a federal grant program to support community-driven strategies to increase diversity in early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, and public secondary school. Overall, this piece of legislation hopes to improve diversity and reduce racial and/or socioeconomic disparates in publicly funded early school programs.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic Fudge introduced the Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act to grants awards to State, local, and Tribal public health departments so that they would be better equipped for testing, contact tracing, and treatment of COVID–19. She also sponsored the Safe Line Speeds in COVID–19 Act in 2020. The bill was meant to direct the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to suspend waivers related to line speeds in meat establishments for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the 2020 United States presidential election, Fudge and allies including Representative Jim Clyburn argued that she should be appointed as Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration. Biden eventually selected Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary; he chose Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Fudge will inherit a department with fewer people and funding than her predecessor, Ben Carson. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), almost 40 million Americans will face the threat of eviction by the end of 2020.

In terms of housing policy, Fudge cosponsored the Helping Homes Act of 2020, which was meant to borden existing single-family and multifamily mortgage forbearance provisions for those experiencing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, she cosponsored the Ensuring HOMES Act that sought to establish additional housing protections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
On December 10, 2020, President Biden announced his plan to nominate Fudge for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She appeared before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on January 28, 2021. On February 4, committee chairman Sherrod Brown advanced her nomination after a 17–7 vote in favor.

On March 10, 2021, Fudge was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 66–34, garnering the support of every senator caucusing with the Democratic Party and 16 senators from the Republican caucus. She was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris hours after her confirmation.

Tenure
Early in her tenure in office, there were allegations that Fudge had violated the Hatch Act of 1939 by commenting on the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio during a White House press conference.

Fudge called for $100 billion to be added to the department's budget to tackle homelessness and housing subsidies.

'''In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released $5 billion in American Rescue Plan money to fight homelessness. The funding will be used to increase affordable housing as well as provide services for people experiencing homelessness. Fudge stated that “What binds us all together is the belief in the power of homeownership, an aspiration that speaks to a basic bargain that lies at the heart of the American dream,” she goes on to say, “If you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve a place to call your own.” '''

In one of her first acts as secretary, Fudge discussed the effects of homelessness on people of color, evictions in the United States, and creating avenues for fair housing with civil rights leaders including Marc Morial and Al Sharpton.