Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson on Thursday said cuts to his department are part of his effort to help the agency work better.
“You’ve seen the budget cuts that say, ’Oh this program [is] going to be eliminated, that program [is] going to be eliminated,’ ” Mr. Carson said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” “What we’re actually doing is examining all the programs, looking at duplication, looking at inefficiencies … and we’re going to preserve those things that are working well.”
The former 2016 Republican presidential candidate said that while there is no specific program to address refugees in wake of the disturbing images coming out of Syria, he said the department is working to improve access to all of those in need of housing, which includes eliminating regulation.
“We’re already putting in place structures to monitor where every penny goes,” he said.
Mr. Carson also added that he has access to President Trump “anytime” saying, “We’re quite well aligned. We’ve talked about the goals of empowering people, not maintaining people.”
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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