Green Questions Carson on Billion Dollar Budget Cuts

On Monday, Congressman Al Green (D-TX) questioned HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson at a congressional hearing on proposed agency budget cuts of $6 billion. The Congressman pressed Carson for an itemization of the cuts, starting with cuts to public housing. After tossing around the numbers in his head, Carson replied that public housing cuts would be “in the neighborhood of” $2 billion to $3 billion. “If you don’t know, I will accept that as an answer,” Green told Carson, who eventually said he knows but doesn’t “want to open the books and look at the numbers.” Carson remained stoic as Green told him that there’s a belief in Carson’s circle that “the rich need more” and poor people “could do more with less.” Green also reminded Carson, who grew up in poverty, that “poor people are not poor because they choose to be poor,” noting the secretary’s controversial comments earlier this year about poverty being a "state of mind." More here.