By: Team Sherrod

In his time as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson has demonstrated again and again that he’s not actually looking out for the people he’s supposed to be serving.

To Sherrod—who fights every day for people of all backgrounds and zip codes—this is completely unacceptable.

Read the list below, and then pitch in to support Sherrod:

1. Secretary Carson has proposed cuts to HUD—while spending recklessly.

After proposing major cuts to HUD, reports showed that Secretary Carson approved the purchase of a $31,000 dining set for his office.

It’s clear that HUD under Secretary Carson cares more about replacing a wobbly dining chair than improving unsafe, unsanitary, and unfair conditions in public housing. So Sherrod called him out:

“Let them use vouchers!"

Sounds rather 18th century, doesn't it? -SB https://t.co/l3FgD4lnnb

— Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) March 22, 2018

2. Secretary Carson has proposed raising rent for struggling Americans.

Secretary Carson has presented a plan to raise rent for public housing recipients, claiming that it will incentivize them to succeed.

This makes no sense; raising rent for those already struggling to put food on the table will only make it more difficult for them to get ahead.

Secretary Carson claims that raising rent for struggling Americans will incentivize them to succeed.

In reality, this will only make it harder. It is cruel and wrong.https://t.co/3EfQF6uRKH

— Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) July 6, 2018

3. Secretary Carson has tried to undo critical fair housing policies

HUD under Secretary Carson has attempted to roll back a 2015 rule requiring more than 1,200 communities receiving billions of federal housing dollars to draft plans to desegregate.

These rules were designed to make it easier for everyone—regardless of zip code—to get ahead. Secretary Carson’s work to scale them back is deeply disappointing.

4. Secretary Carson has said public housing shouldn’t be “a comfortable setting.”

Visiting neighborhoods in Ohio, Secretary Carson joked that some public housing sites were too cozy for the people living there. In an interview, he’s warned against allowing people to live in “a comfortable setting that would make somebody want to say: ‘I’ll just stay here. They will take care of me.’”

This line of thinking is harmful. We should be helping people get ahead—not making their living conditions worse.

5. Secretary Carson has said poverty is a “state of mind.”

This about says it all.