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The new secretary promises to trim costs and care for the needy.
Andrew Cuomo, the new HUD secretary, told senators at his recent confirmation hearing that he would work to reduce the costs of HUD programs but would strive to meet the needs of the poor and the homeless.
The Senate confirmed Cuomo 99-0 on Jan. 28.
Speaking before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Cuomo, the former assistant HUD secretary for community planning and development, said, "We have an undeniable responsibility to balance the budget, and at the same time we have an equal responsibility to meet the challenges that lie ahead."
"The position of HUD secretary is one of the toughest positions in government," said committee chairman Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-NY. "The new secretary will inherit serious problems. The strong intervention and action by Secretary Cisneros to 'reinvent' HUD succeeded in focusing the debate on reforming and improving HUD rather than on dismantling it."
He said the task before the new secretary will be extremely difficult. "Strong bipartisan congressional support is absolutely essential for the secretary to be able to achieve our shared goals."
Committee Republicans pointed out that HUD's top challenge in the next four years will be in managing the renewal of Section 8 subsidized rental contracts that come due in an era of shrinking HUD budgets.
HUD spends about $3.6 billion...