Final Day March 22, Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman Named Interim
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge has announced she will leave her post March 22, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman.
Fudge said in interviews that she has “mixed emotions” about retiring after decades in public service and that HUD “was the ideal opportunity to culminate a career focused on doing the most good for the most people, including those who have often been left behind or left out.”
While Fudge’s departure is somewhat of a surprise, it’s not uncommon for cabinet positions to open in the face of a presidential election. Fudge is the second member of the Biden-Harris White House cabinet to step away, preceded by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh exiting that post in 2023.
“It has always been my belief that government can and should work for the people,” Fudge wrote. “For the last three years, I have fully embraced HUD’s mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. The people HUD serves are those who are often left out and left behind. These are my people. They serve as my motivation for everything we have been able to accomplish.”
Fudge served in the lead role at HUD for more than three years, navigating the department through the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she will return to Ohio and private life.
“It’s time to go home,’’ Fudge told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview on her resignation. “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.”
With that, Fudge told the outlet that housing should be a top issue for both Republicans and Democrats.
‘‘It is not a red or blue issue,’’ the secretary was quoted as saying. “Everybody knows that it is an issue so it’s not a one-sided issue. It’s an American issue.’’
Fudge’s work was lauded in a letter from the White House.
“Under Marcia’s transformational leadership, we have worked hard to lower housing costs and increase supply. We’ve proposed the largest investment in affordable housing in U.S. history. We’ve taken steps to aggressively combat racial discrimination in housing by ensuring home appraisals are more fair and by strengthening programs to redress the negative impacts of redlining,” the statement read. “Thanks to Secretary Fudge, we’ve helped first-time homebuyers, and we are working to cut the cost of renting. And there are more housing units under construction right now than at any time in the last 50 years.”
Prior to her tenure at HUD, Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio and was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and was past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. As a Member of Congress, she earned a reputation of tackling the unique challenges of her district by working with her delegation and across political ideologies. Fudge’s career in public service began in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, rising to the rank of director of Budget and Finance.
Interim Secretary Todman previously worked as a legislative director for Congressman Ron de Lugo, a delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands. She also served as a policy aide in HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing, spent time with District of Columbia Housing Authority, and was selected in 2017 as the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials before returning to HUD.
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