“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience” (Col. 1:9b-11 NIVUK).

First Cabinet Meeting

After President Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Feb. 16, 2025, the name Scott Turner was in many headlines. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was asked to open in prayer and did so in a manner which revealed his deep faith.

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“Father, we thank you for this awesome privilege to be in Your presence,” said the 53-year-old. He continued, thanking God for Trump and the opportunity given to his cabinet to lead the nation. “Father, the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’…We pray that we would lead with a righteous clarity. As we serve the people of this country in every prospective agency… Father, we would humble ourselves before You, and… lead in a manner that You’ve called us to lead and to serve America. In Jesus’ name.”

Background

Who is this righteous man tasked with transforming a vital government department with a $72.6 billion budget?  A fourth generation Texan, Scott was born in and grew up in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas. At age 10 his parents divorced, but his core values were formed in Mount Pisgah Baptist Community Church.

In high school, he played football, ran track, and told his mother that he would one day play in the NFL.

Turner earned a full academic and athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois, playing as a wide receiver and cornerback on the football team and excelling in track and field. As part of the Illinois men’s indoor and outdoor relay teams, Turner earned All-America status. He graduated with a degree in communication in 1995.

That same year, two of his dreams came true: he was drafted into the NFL by the Washington Redskins and he married his wife, Robin. Turner humbly quips that he was chosen in the seventh round of the draft—which is the last round! He played 9 seasons in the NFL for the Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. In 2004, a leg injury in training put an end to his career.

Political Career

During the 2003 NFL off-season, Turner worked as an intern for California Congressman Duncan Hunter. After retiring from football, he accepted a full-time job in the congressman’s office.

Turner moved back to Frisco, Texas and, in 2012, announced his candidacy for the newly created 33rd District of the Texas House of Representatives. He won the seat and was sworn into the Texas Legislature on Jan. 8, 2013.

Turner served two consecutive terms in the Texas Legislature, from January 2013 to January 2017. That same year, he was named by the GOPAC to their list of Emerging Leaders in the Republican party.  And then in 2019, President Donald Trump appointed Turner as the director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

During his tenure, Turner led the interagency Opportunity Zones Initiative working with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments across the country to revitalize economically distressed areas, promote affordable housing, and create new businesses. Turner also served as a housing development executive at JPI, one of the nation’s leading developers of multi-family housing.

In November 2024, Trump announced his intent to nominate Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his second administration. Scott Turner was confirmed by the United States Senate to the office on February 5, 2025.

A Varied Background Equips Turner as HUD Secretary

Turner married Robin, a University of Illinois alumna, in 1995. Their 28-year marriage has triumphed amid career changes, childlessness, and the adoption of Turner’s nephew, Solomon, at age 8. Robin describes herself as a “proud follower of Jesus Christ.” Turner attributes his smooth transitions across careers to their strong faith and to Robin’s consistent support. Solomon recently attended the University of Illinois, following in Turner’s footsteps by playing football. He graduated in 2024.

Turner and his family are members of Prestonwood Baptist Church where he continues to serve as an associate pastor. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University in 2016.

Scott Turner is also an accomplished businessman. Turner is founder and president of Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), an organization that supports children living in poverty.

He owns and operates a consulting firm, Scott Turner Consulting Group, LLC. Since 2020, he has consulted for the NFL, Guidestone Financial, Avondale Dealerships, and the America First Policy Institute. He and his wife also own Statesman Clothiers, a custom men’s clothing company.

Turner’s diverse background in sports, politics, business, and ministry uniquely positions him to address challenges in housing and urban development.

Role as HUD Secretary

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is tasked with enforcing and coordinating federal housing law. The vast majority of HUD’s budget goes toward housing assistance for lower-income families, the elderly and disabled as well as community development and homelessness programs. The department will be at the forefront of issues ranging from rising housing costs to spurring economic development in struggling cities and lowering homelessness rates, especially among veterans.

Federal policy under Trump is poised to turn away from the individuals and institutions that have backed Housing-First and toward a new approach that embraces mandatory treatment and even faith-based models of addressing homelessness.

In his confirmation hearing, Turner emphasized leaning more heavily on local organizations, including religious groups, to solve the homelessness crisis.

As the nation grapples with an affordable housing crisis, Turner faces the daunting task of addressing the needs of millions of Americans struggling with housing insecurity.

Turner would address housing affordability and homelessness, reform HUD’s massive portfolio of housing subsidies, and tackle housing discrimination initiatives. Turner must navigate complex policy landscapes to enhance housing stability, improve public housing conditions, and ensure equitable access to housing resources according to sellingrealestate.com.

Turner has criticized the current functioning of HUD. “HUD… is failing at its most basic mission,” Turner said. “And that has to come to an end.”

He noted HUD’s recent report acknowledging an 18.1% increase in homelessness in the U.S., with 770,000 people counted as homeless in 2024.

“As a country, we are not building enough homes. We need millions of homes, all kinds of homes — multifamily, single family, duplex, condo, manufacturing housing, you name it — we need housing in our country for individuals and families to have a roof over their head and to call home,” Turner said during his confirmation hearing last month.

As the Executive Director of  the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, Turner saw “firsthand the impact of this initiative, as it gave Americans living in underserved communities an opportunity, a foundation to start businesses, to live in better homes, to be self-sustaining, to be confident, and to ‘unleash that promise and potential that the lord has given each of us in our country.'”

Challenges

Scott Turner faces significant challenges in his role as HUD Secretary

On Feb. 26, Tuner terminated the Biden-era 2021 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, cutting costly red tape imposed on localities and returning decision-making power to local and state governments. The AFFH rule was a ‘zoning tax’ which fueled an increase in the cost and a decrease in the supply of affordable housing due to restrictions on local land. This rule was linked to the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

“Local and state governments understand the needs of their communities much better than bureaucrats in DC. Terminating this rule restores trust in local communities and property owners while protecting America’s suburbs and neighborhood integrity,” Secretary Turner said.

A HUD official told reporters that a new rule put forward by the department will still prohibit discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, without the need for the burdensome analyses.

As he seeks bi-partisan cooperation in these initiatives, only two Democrats backed Turner’s appointment—Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, implored Turner to protect U.S. citizens in HUD housing even if undocumented people were in their household. Only people legally in the country can receive HUD subsidies, though Trump’s first administration had tried unsuccessfully to limit their eligibility if they live with people who may not have approved immigration status.

“We do not like to tear up families, but we have an obligation to serve the American people,” was Turner’s response.

Turner also supports tying work requirements to HUD housing programs.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has challenged Turner, asking him to commit to ensuring adequate funding, so that the Fair Housing Act can be fully enforced. She is pressing him  about his plans to bring enforcement actions against entities that violate fair housing and civil rights laws.

Recent leaks suggest HUD is planning considerable staffing cuts particularly to the Office of Community Planning and Development — the division responsible for homelessness programs, affordable housing, and disaster relief. The New York Times reported in February that this office could see an 84 percent reduction, from 936 employees to just 150.

At the heart of the debate is a fundamental disagreement about what constitutes success in addressing homelessness. For Housing-First advocates, stable housing is both the primary goal and the foundation for addressing other issues. Critics, however, argue that simply being housed without improvements in health or substance use doesn’t represent real progress.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, journeyed from Capitol Hill to HUD headquarters to hand deliver a letter to Secretary Scott Turner. The letter takes issue with reported cuts to agency staff, the targeting of certain programs and the department’s collaboration with the US Doge Service. The letter, co-signed by 122 House Democrats, contends that the housing affordability and homelessness challenges currently faced by Americans will be exacerbated through actions taken by Turner and DOGE.

While implementing Trump’s cost cutting financial policies, Turner will face opposition from House Democrats, career politicians and NGO’s involved in fair housing practices and homelessness initiatives, and the department’s own employees.

Prayer

Father, as Scott Turner steps into this vital role, we ask for Your Spirit to rest upon him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, and the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Grant him heavenly insight into the daunting problems facing this nation including affordable housing, increased homelessness and unwieldy government bureaucracy. Allow him to fully please You in every good work, increasing in his knowledge of You and Your ways. Strengthen him with might according to Your glorious power that he might stand up against detractors and boldly fulfill his mandate under President Trump. Make him bold, courageous, and unafraid of the accusations or the faces of his opponents. Let him be a reconciliatory force in the very divided house as he seeks bipartisan support for reforming HUD. Thank you for his wife, Robin, who prays for him and supports him, as he seeks biblical solutions to the challenges of this office. Protect them from unscrupulous media, from the accuser of the brethren and from self-sufficiency. Let him never be wise in his own eyes but in all his ways acknowledge You, certain that You will make straight his path as HUD Secretary. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen. (Is. 11:1-3; Col. 1:10-11; Josh. 1:9; Prov. 3:5-6)

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Lori Meed is a leader on IFA’s Headline Prayer Live and an IFA contributing writer. In 2004, God moved her family from Canada to the U.S., imparting to them His heart for this country and for revival. Having walked out her own journey of freedom after being radically born again in 1992, Lori has a heart to see others set free to walk fully in their destiny. She is also passionate about teaching on aliyah (“going up,” the return of the Jews to the land of Israel), the feasts of the Lord, and the rich connections of the gentile churches to Israel. Lori blogs at All Things Restored at WordPress.com. Photo Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.