As millions of Americans begin to put their lives together after the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Seth Meyers warned Tuesday night that the situation might be even worse than we thought. That’s because the man tasked with fixing the country’s urgent housing crisis is none other than Ben Carson.
Dr. Carson has scarcely been heard from since Donald Trump picked him to be secretary of housing and urban development, but the double header hurricanes and their aftermath could thrust the former pediatric neurosurgeon back into the spotlight over the coming weeks and months.
On Tuesday’s Late Night, Meyers acknowledged Carson’s “remarkable” life story, but added, “His qualifications to lead HUD were rightfully questioned almost immediately” after Trump nominated him for the position he now holds.
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But Carson’s lack of experience is about to become far scarier now that he must help the hurricane relief effort. “All of this is especially troubling right now, because more and more people will come to rely on HUD as it faces its greatest challenge yet under this administration,” Meyers said, before pointing out that the Trump administration has proposed major cuts to the agency.
“That’s right, money to help homeowners and businesses rebuild after disaster goes through HUD’s $3 billion block grant program that Trump has proposed getting rid of altogether,” Meyers said. “While Trump is busy praising agencies that are helping with disaster relief, they are also the same agencies whose funding he wants to slash.”
“Now is not the time to cut back on disaster relief programs,” he added, “especially not when hurricanes are lining up like they have numbers at a deli.”
