Marcia Fudge will depart her role as secretary of Housing and Urban Development later this month, the White House announced Monday, making her just the second cabinet member to bow out of the Biden administration.
There was no reported riff between Biden and Fudge, who told USA Today on Monday that she felt it was “time to go home” after accomplishing everything she could in the position.
“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,” she said.
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Fudge, 71, said she’s retiring from public life entirely after more than 50 years that included a decade in Congress. Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman, a U.S. Virgin Islands native who was previously the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, will work as the acting secretary.
Biden released a glowing statement Monday that praised Fudge’s accomplishments in her three years as HUD secretary, as well as her previous positions in her native Ohio.
“When I took office, we inherited a broken housing system, with fair housing and civil rights protections badly dismantled under the prior administration,” he said. “On day one, 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.”
He continued, “From her time as a mayor, to her years as a fierce advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives, Marcia’s vision, passion, and focus on increasing economic opportunity have been assets to our country. I’m grateful for all of her contributions toward a housing system that works for all Americans, and I wish her well in her next chapter.”
Fudge’s departure comes a year after the resignation of former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who faced criticism for spending more time in Boston than he did in Washington. He is the only other Cabinet appointee of the Biden administration to leave their position.
While Biden praised his soon-to-be former HUD secretary on Monday, her departure does appear to have taken the administration by surprise. Just last week, Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, told Politico that all current Cabinet members and White House senior staff were to remain in their roles through the remainder of Biden’s first term.
