Although Trump bragged to his rabid supporters that he would “only hire the best people,” it seems he has a unique ability to hire only the worst and the least qualified while driving the best people away.
One of Trump’s most unqualified and inexplicable appointments was that of former presidential candidate Ben Carson as HUD secretary, a job even he admitted he wasn’t qualified to do. After two years under his leadership, one of the best and most respected of HUD’s top officials has reportedly resigned thanks to Trump’s cruel and idiotic response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.
According to The Washington Post:
‘Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude, second-in-command at the agency helmed by Ben Carson and widely regarded as HUD’s most capable political leader, is said to have grown frustrated by what a former HUD employee described as a “Sisyphean undertaking.”
‘Patenaude cited personal reasons when she submitted her resignation.’
Another administration official resigns – in protest over Trump’s abhorrent policies ???https://t.co/JQyKVeuzN5
— Brock Wolf (@BrockWolf6) January 17, 2019
After 21 years of commendable service, those close to Patenaude says she is leaving in frustration related to Trump’s demands to pull funding for the response to Puerto Rico after hurricanes left many in the U.S. territory homeless and destitute. An endless push-and-pull made the deputy secretary’s job impossible to perform.
‘Her impending departure, planned before the shutdown began Dec. 22, hurt the agency’s ability to anticipate and plan for the closure, according to career and political staffers. HUD is under fire for not renewing hundreds of expired affordable-housing contracts before the shutdown went into effect, jeopardizing the budgets of property owners and the housing stability of low-income tenants.
‘Housing advocates and HUD employees described Patenaude’s departure as a blow to an agency in which the morale of career staffers has deteriorated under Carson.’
"Trump reportedly told then-Chief of Staff John Kelly and then-Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney that he did not want a “single dollar” going to Puerto Rico, and wanted more money to go to Texas and Florida."
WTF!!?? https://t.co/dgCsveIYoY
— stella62 (@rain0874) January 17, 2019
The frustration began when Trump believed false reports from sources he found trustworthy that said Puerto Rican government officials were using disaster relief funds to pay off the territories’ massive debts. Despite repeated assurances from Patenaude, who actually has the insider knowledge to understand these things far better than the Fox News-loving president, that this was not true, Trump demanded the funds to Puerto Rico to stop.
Diane Yentel, president and chief executive of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said the loss to HUD would be profound.
‘She knows the HUD building, the issues, the policies and the politics. She was an especially strong and important counterpoint to Secretary Carson’s early lack of knowledge on any of the issues that he was expected to lead on. When she battled some of the more ideologically far-right members of her administration, she typically won.’
Thank you @NydiaVelazquez @SenWarren @SenMarkey @SenSchumer @SenKamalaHarris @SenBlumenthal for speaking up 4 almost 3,000 #PuertoRican victims that no longer have a voice: Democrats renew push to investigate Trump's Hurricane response in #PuertoRico https://t.co/aGQnm76eNb
— Nancy Santiago Negron (@nancysnegron) January 9, 2019
The deputy secretary fought the measures endlessly, leaving her to feel as if the fight would continue as long as Trump is president. Her assurances that HUD was well aware of how the funds would be used and that Congress had already appointed these funds to go to Puerto Rico, she received nothing but pushback.
‘Patenaude told White House budget officials during an early December meeting in the Situation Room that the money had been appropriated by Congress and must be sent, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting. She assured them that HUD had proper oversight of the funds.’
There's nothing new under the sun. The man who vowed to help Puerto Rico, goes back on his word, then blames them for his own failures. https://t.co/s6J7fm3gCz
— Author Leah Yehudah (@LeahYehudah_) January 11, 2019
Other officials have left recently, as well. With Trump in the White House and Carson in charge of the vital program that ensures Americans are not left without adequate shelter for themselves and their children, it’s a struggle not likely to end anytime soon.
‘Patenaude is the third senior political appointee with housing experience to leave HUD in recent weeks. Neal Rackleff, the assistant secretary of community planning and development, left in December. Michael Bright, executive vice president and chief operations officer at the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae, announced his resignation last week.’
A top HUD official quit after Trump tried to block disaster money from going to Puerto Rico after deadly Hurricane Maria, @TracyJan @arelisrhdz @jdawsey1 & @damianpaletta report https://t.co/IvNixykBTo
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) January 17, 2019
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
