Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today voted against Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Feinstein released the following statement:

“California is home to 20 percent of our nation’s homeless population—more than 115,000 people. Our state is struggling to reduce homelessness among individuals and families, and the shortage of affordable housing has reached crisis levels.

“The federal government plays an important role in addressing these challenges, and I don’t believe Dr. Ben Carson has the knowledge or skills to tackle them as HUD Secretary. He has never served in government and has no background in housing policy.

“Dr. Carson has also been critical of policies to counteract segregation in our communities and made disparaging statements about LGBT Americans. He is simply not the right person for this key position.”