HUD Sec. Scott Turner touts Trump’s faith agenda, accuses Biden of sidelining Christians

WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner accused the Biden administration of sidelining Christian organizations while pledging that the Trump administration will partner with faith-based groups to address homelessness, addiction and other social challenges.

“The Biden administration worshiped the government as their God, but we in the Trump administration, we will worship God Almighty,” Turner told attendees Friday at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference at the Washington Hilton.

“In some cases, these organizations were barred from receiving funding unless they removed Christian principles from their mission statements,” he explained.

Turner, who also serves as a pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, said faith-based organizations are uniquely positioned to transform lives because they address both physical and spiritual needs.

“There are more than 350,000 religious organizations in America. Imagine the widespread revitalization that could take place if we provided these groups with the tools they need to uplift their communities. That’s exactly why and exactly what we’re doing at HUD.”

Turner said that as part of the Biden administration’s marginalization of faith-based organizations, some were denied federal funding unless they removed Christian principles from their mission statements.

He added that, under Trump, HUD has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice on a report examining anti-Christian discrimination under the previous administration. Turner pointed to gender ideology requirements and LGBT nondiscrimination policies imposed on some HUD-funded programs as examples.

“The federal government will never be able to address every victim’s unique hardship … but we can empower those who can,” Turner said.

Contrasting the two administrations, Turner said President Donald Trump’s policies promote “the values of faith, the sanctity of life, biblical marriage, the nuclear family and personal responsibility.”

He also asserted that the Biden administration had lost sight of “our Founding Fathers’ vision” of America as “a beacon of faith, liberty and hope,” while praising the Trump administration for “promoting policies that uphold the value of faith, the sanctity of life, biblical marriage, the nuclear family and personal responsibility.”

Turner said his roles as HUD secretary and pastor share a common purpose: “to partner with like-minded people to serve the most vulnerable people of our country.”

“At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we believe in and empower faith leaders across the country in their service to the American people,” he said, adding that churches and religious ministries have long cared for vulnerable Americans before government programs existed.

He pointed to faith-based organizations that provide transitional housing, addiction recovery, job training and biblical counseling as examples of ministries addressing the root causes of homelessness.

Turner bluntly contrasted his approach to leading HUD with that of the Biden administration, stating, “The Biden administration worshipped the government as their God, but we in the Trump administration, we will worship God Almighty.”

“Based on the tireless work of faith-based organizations, many homeless Americans have overcome addiction and reclaimed their dignity because these groups see treating homelessness as more than just providing housing,” he added.

While visiting faith-based organizations across the country, Turner said he’s “heard testimonies from people transformed by transitional housing programs and supportive services such as job training, addiction recovery and biblical counseling.”

“A few weeks ago at a round table, I met an individual who was rescued from homelessness and addiction,” Turner recalled. “He was rescued by an organization [that] was faithful to carry out this commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

“He said that, before he was homeless and a severe alcoholic, he was a neighbor. He was your neighbor and my neighbor. He coached his neighbors’ kids in Little League and took out their trash when they were away.”

Turner added that “a faith-based provider stepped in to care for him as his neighbor, giving him medical services and therapy and helping him understand why he kept turning to alcohol in times of crisis.”

“They helped address the root cause of his homelessness, and now he has surrendered his life to Christ.”

“Another way that HUD’s faith partners love their neighbors is through disaster relief,” Turner explained. “When I visited Asheville, North Carolina, I met a group of college students from Samaritan’s Purse who gave up their spring break to help rebuild an elderly woman’s home. Samaritan’s Purse saw a specific need and called on community members who are eager to help meet that need.” 

“The power of prayer has been evident in our country,” he said. “It has sustained us during times of war, given us joy.”

Reflecting on the nation’s founding, Turner added, “The early settlers came here to escape religious persecution and build a nation where every individual could exercise their religion without fear of retaliation by the government. With this Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, President Trump is ensuring the same religious oppression the pilgrims escaped does not take root in our country again.” 

Turner concluded his remarks with a call to action for the social conservative activists in the audience and watching from home: “Faith leaders like you, along with the Trump administration, will return America to one nation under the one true God and it’s all of us working together to return Him to His rightful place. As Paul tells us in Galatians, ‘We cannot grow weary in doing good.’”