Carson Will Not Guarantee No Dollars Will Go To Trumps
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Ben Carson would not guarantee that, if confirmed as housing secretary, no money from his department will benefit President-elect Donald Trump or his family.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed Carson on this at the famed neurosurgeon's confirmation hearing Thursday.
Warren wanted assurances that "not one dollar" of Housing and Urban Development money would go to the Trump family who made its fortune in real estate.
Carson said it won't be his intention to benefit an individual American. He says he will manage things to benefit all Americans.
He says if an extraordinary program benefited millions, but a particular individual were to receive $10,
He said, "Am I going to say 'no, the rest of you Americans can't have it?'"
Carson said that "logic and common sense probably would be the best way.
Democratic senators questioned how Carson's promise to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in annual spending squares with overseeing a department that serves millions of the poorest Americans.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio said the call for a 10 percent budget cut for government agencies would send hundreds of thousands of families into a tailspin.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey questioned Carson on whether he supports the concept of rental assistance. In response, Carson assured him that rental assistance is "essential." He said his philosophy on entitlement programs is that it's cruel to remove them without providing an alternative.
Ben Carson was Trump's former rival during the Primary elections to be the Republican nominee for president. He dropped out in March after poor results on Super Tuesday. Click here for the latest information on Trump's transition.
