Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson blasted “career politician” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) over the staggering number of homeless in her Los Angeles district after thirty years in office in response to Waters’ letter attacking President Trump over his proposals to help get the homeless off the streets in California.
In response, Waters called Carson a “duck out of water” and a “complete failure at HUD.”
HUD Sec. Ben Carson.
Rep. Maxine Waters.
Carson wrote to Waters on Monday, calling Waters out for her gratuitously insulting letter on October 28 to President Trump. Waters wrote Trump in her capacity as the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee. Waters’ letter began:
“Mr. President, Your shamelessness knows no bounds. From day one of your presidency, you have attacked our democracy and now you have set your ire on the 550,000 Americans who on any given night experience homelessness. Given this deplorable track record, I demand that you provide additional information on your Administration’s
recent report, “The State of Homelessness in America,”1 and your reported plans to unilaterally demolish homeless tent camps and relocate homeless jndividuals to federally-owned facilities.2 As you know, homelessness in this country has reached crisis proportions and this effort would be one of the numerous cruel, unlawful, and unpatriotic actions you have taken during what will hopefully be a short-lived presidency…”
Carson replied in kind to Waters (first reported by Politico), adding a brief mention of the recent controversy over his remarks against allowing “big hairy men” to stay at women’s shelters.
Dear Madam Chairwoman, My mother always taught me that people shouldn’t throw rocks, especially while they live in a glass house. Because of that wise lesson, I was a little surprised to read your hostile letter to President Trump regarding the record number of homeless Americans in California, particularly in your district.
Indeed, shamelessness exists in Washington. Shamelessness is a career politician of 30 years laying blame. Shamelessness is allowing more than 55,000 Americans to live on the very streets they represent. Shamelessness is allowing anyone other than a biological female into a battered women’s shelter.
As the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, solving the homelessness crisis is a priority for myself, for President Trump and for his Administration. To that end, I have sent multiple letters to your office and requested numerous meetings, but each time you’ve refused. Basic manners elude you and it seems that instead of producing results, you’re more interested in producing cheap headlines at the President’s expense — like a true career politician. Unfortunately, those homeless men and women don’t have that same luxury…
…The most important thing we can do at the federal level for housing affordability is to provide for a thriving economy where jobs are growing, wages are rising, and unemployment is failing. Thanks to Trump’s policies, that is exactly what we have today — a booming economy.
Carson closed by reiterating his openness to working with Waters to “solve this crisis” by “working to give people a hand up, instead of a hand-out.”
Waters replied to Carson Tuesday, via a statement to The Hill:
In response, Waters said in a statement to The Hill that “Carson is like a duck out of water” and that he has been a “complete failure at HUD.”
“Most recently, it was reported that he and this disgraceful President want to raze homeless camps, round up persons experiencing homelessness and force them to live in unused and unsuitable federal buildings,” she added.
“All of this demonstrates his lack of competence as HUD secretary and the cruelty of this Administration. Instead of whining about his inability to get on my schedule, he should take some time to focus on the over half a million people experiencing homelessness in this country.”
…Waters pointed to her bill to to provide $13.2 billion in funding to solve issues pertaining to homelessness, arguing that “we have yet to see any productive solutions come out of this dysfunctional and corrupt Administration.”
“[Carson] should contain his tantrums and leave his mother out of this,” she said.
