MARCIA FUDGE

Good morning, Chicago. Here are some of the top stories you need to know to start your day.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge announced the funding while visiting a Far South Side apartment complex Thursday that houses families exiting homelessness.

A deadline has passed with no resolution over whether Texas will settle a dispute over claims it discriminated against minority residents in how it distributed flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing $2.8 billion in fresh funding for homeless services organizations across the country.

Marcia Fudge, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, met Monday with residents from properties in Jacksonville that receive assistance from HUD.

Marcia Fudge, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, met Monday with residents from properties in Jacksonville that receive assistance from HUD.

Federal officials are bracing for another difficult hurricane season.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is doubling the size of its eviction protection program, designed to fund legal assistance for tenants seeking to stay in their homes.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is allocating nearly $3 billion in disaster relief to cover recovery efforts by multiple state and local governments.

Vice President Kamala Harris is in Selma, Alabama, to mark the anniversary of a defining moment in the fight for equal voting rights.

Black members of President Joe Biden's Cabinet came together Thursday for a Black History Month event highlighting their roles in the administration, some of which are historic firsts.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has laid out new guidelines for the disbursal of $2 billion in disaster-relief bloc grants, with an emphasis on climate-change mitigation and equity for underserved communities.

The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, will soon celebrate its 113th birthday, which its leaders say comes as it undergoes a restructuring to reflect a membership and leadership that is trending younger.

Two vacant Ohio congressional seats have been filled after Republican Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist from Columbus, and Democrat Shontel Brown, a Democratic Party leader from Cleveland, were sworn into the House.

Republican coal lobbyist Mike Carey has defeated a two-term state lawmaker to win an open U.S. House seat in central Ohio, while Democrat Shontel Brown coasted to victory in a second up-for-grabs congressional district in the Cleveland area.

The Biden administration is trying to prevent evictions from public housing for nonpayment of rent.

New census data shows declining populations in rural areas and some Rust Belt cities, which could make them targets during redistricting for the U.S. House.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is now calling on the U.S. HUD to not only relocate tenants impacted by a severe rodent infestation, electrical problems, overflowing garbage and other safety and sanitary violations, but also review security steps the management company is taking following crimes committed at the complex.

Shontel Brown’s victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday for a Cleveland-area congressional seat came almost out of the blue.

Shontel Brown defeats Nina Turner in Democratic primary for Ohio House seat

Brown's victory in the Cleveland area primary marks a victory for more moderate Democrats in the closely watched contest.

The Democratic primary has become a proxy war between progressives and the establishment. But the outcome won’t tell us much about the party’s future.

Mike Carey, a Donald Trump-backed coal lobbyist, topped Republicans in central Ohio, while Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown scored a victory for the Democratic establishment in Cleveland, in two primary elections for open House seats Tuesday.

The race pits Nina Turner, an ally of Bernie Sanders and the so-called Squad, against Shontel Brown, who has endorsements from Hillary Clinton and James Clyburn. The contest could be close.

The progressive advocacy group Our Revolution is rebranding now that Bernie Sanders is no longer the undisputed leader of the left.

A Democratic congressional primary in Ohio has emerged as a test for progressives.

Homeownership rates for Black people have been on the decline over the past decade. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge told Axios student debt is a factor.

President Joe Biden's Cabinet secretaries have been touring the country to marshal support for the president's infrastructure package and the larger Biden agenda.

Marty Walsh remembers what it was like when a Cabinet secretary would come to town. "He was speaking on behalf of President Obama and Vice President Biden, and people hung on every word.” Now Walsh, as secretary of labor, is on the other side of the equation, crisscrossing the country on behalf of President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan.

The Las Vegas Strip and surroundings will fully reopen to vaccinated diners, dancers, shoppers and club-goers beginning June 1.

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge was found to have violated the Hatch Act during a public appearance, according to independent investigators.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is receiving criticism from lawmakers in his own party over his shifting economic reopening plan, with a group of Democrats from the state’s second most populous county threatening the possibility of a special legislative session.

A federal judge on Wednesday vacated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's temporary federal eviction moratorium, which had been extended multiple times since being enacted by the Trump administration last fall. Why it matters: The nationwide halt on most evictions due to the pandemic was seen as a temporary fix for millions of renters put at risk of losing their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe CDC under the Biden administration had sought to extend the eviction moratorium through June 30.D.C. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled on the side of the plaintiffs, who alleged that the CDC overstepped its authority by extending the eviction moratorium — which was first included in the March CARES Act passed by Congress — to all residential properties nationwide.What they're saying: "The pandemic has triggered difficult policy decisions that have had enormous real-world consequences. The nationwide eviction moratorium is one such decision," Friedrich writes in an opinion."It is the role of the political branches, and not the courts, to assess the merits of policy measures designed to combat the spread of disease, even during a global pandemic.""The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not."Housing and Urban Development secretary Marcia Fudge said at a press conference Wednesday said that the Biden administration has targeted billions of dollars of vouchers for those at risk and for cities to invest in housing.“We know we have put enough money in the system through the rescue plan that people should come out of this June 30th, at least current[ly], and so that in itself is going to allow us hopefully to keep people in their homes, as well as those people who actually have homes through FHA or through the federal government," she said. Between the lines: Some landlords were still sidestepping the CDC's order to halt evictions by ousting tenants for minor violations instead of rent nonpayment, housing advocates told AP last fall.Read the full opinion. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

A News4Jax I-TEAM investigation is getting results as Sen. Marco Rubio is stepping in to help residents at two troubled apartment complexes.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is withdrawing a Trump-era policy that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to deny access to transgender people.

Senate Republicans have unveiled a public works proposal with a much smaller price tag than what President Joe Biden wants.

Democrats now hold only 218 seats in the House, compared to 212 for Republicans.

A coronavirus pandemic-fueled mortgage boom is prompting states to receive nearly $700 million in federal grants from a special program for low-income housing, more than double the amount distributed last year.

Two months into his job, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is forging a fresh path for his Cabinet role and in his life that could bridge gaps with Republicans when it comes to President Joe Biden’s agenda.

President Joe Biden says Republicans have talked for years about the need to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and predicts GOP lawmakers will face pressure from their supporters if they don’t act.

President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.

President Joe Bidens administration is cutting things close on a nationwide eviction moratorium, which is set to expire in less than a week. Housing advocates are confident the ban, due to expire March 31, will be extended for several months and possibly even strengthened. Last week, Dunn said, a HUD official conducted a call with housing advocates to field opinions on a new, streamlined form that tenants can use in order to gain protection from eviction. “The question is: What is the extension going to look like?”Dunn and others would like to see the moratorium extended and improved. Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package included more than $25 billion in emergency rental assistance, plus more to help tenants who were behind on their utilities, but no extension of the eviction moratorium.

Still, they argue the existing moratorium hasn’t been a blanket protection and say thousands of families have been evicted for other reasons beyond nonpayment of rent. Eric Dunn, director of litigation for the National Housing Law Project, noted signs that a decision has already quietly been made. “The question is: What is the extension going to look like?”Dunn and others would like to see the moratorium extended and improved. Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package included more than $25 billion in emergency rental assistance, plus more to help tenants who were behind on their utilities, but no extension of the eviction moratorium. One of the biggest changes being advocated is for Biden to make the ban's protection's automatic and universal.

WASHINGTON – Homelessness in America was on the rise even before the coronavirus pandemic dramatically dragged down the economy, according to a government report. The Housing and Urban Development Department's annual report on homelessness provides a snapshot of the number of homeless people, both sheltered and unsheltered, in America on a single night. The one-night counts are conducted during the last 10 days of January each year, and the new report shows that 580,466 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night in January 2020 — an increase of 12,751 people, or 2.2 percent, from 2019. “Housing should be a right, not a privilege, and ensuring that every American has a safe, stable home is a national imperative,” Fudge said. A long-serving Ohio congresswoman, Fudge said her final act as a House member was voting to approve the aid bill.

Her confirmation, 66 to 34, comes as the Senate is approving a slate of President Biden's nominees. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, administers the ceremonial swearing-in of the Department for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Manuel Balce Ceneta / APFudge won bipartisan support for her nomination, including from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said he would support her and Garland. "These aren't the nominees that any Republican would have picked for these jobs," McConnell said ahead of the vote. Republicans who opposed Fudge's nomination argued that she was also out of the mainstream.

Her confirmation, 66 to 34, comes as the Senate is approving a slate of President Biden's nominees. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, administers the ceremonial swearing-in of the Department for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Manuel Balce Ceneta / APFudge won bipartisan support for her nomination, including from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said he would support her and Garland. "These aren't the nominees that any Republican would have picked for these jobs," McConnell said ahead of the vote. Republicans who opposed Fudge's nomination argued that she was also out of the mainstream.

Washington — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general on Wednesday, five years after he was blocked from consideration as former President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. During his confirmation hearings last month, Garland also pledged to depoliticize the Justice Department. Democrats accused former Attorney General William Barr of acting like the president's personal attorney in his handling of those cases. Garland vowed that as attorney general he would act in the interests of the American people, and pledged that he would fight efforts to make prosecutions or investigations partisan or political. Garland's confirmation as attorney general opens up a vacancy on the D.C.

Marcia Fudge sworn in as secretary of housing and urban development Former Congresswoman Marcia Fudge has been sworn in to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano has more.

Her confirmation, 66-34, comes as the Senate is approving a slate of President Biden's nominees. Representative Marcia Fudge speaks on December 11, 2020, after being nominated to be secretary of housing and urban development. "These aren't the nominees that any Republican would have picked for these jobs," McConnell said ahead of the vote. He said the two nominees both support "far-left policies that crush jobs″ in his state and across the country. Republicans who opposed Fudge's nomination argued that she was also out of the mainstream.

Fudge, a veteran lawmaker, will lead the housing agency agency just as Congress has passed new benefits for renters and homeowners who have suffered economic losses amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fudge was confirmed 66-34, while Regan was also approved by a 66-34 vote. All three nominees won bipartisan support for their nominations, although Republican Leader Mitch McConnell voted against Regan. The two nominees both support “far-left policies that crush jobs″ in his state and across the country, the Kentucky Republican said. AdCapito also complained that Regan will take cues from Biden's White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, a former EPA chief.

AdFifty days in, Biden has made major strides on a number of key campaign pledges for his earliest days in office, while others are still awaiting action. He’s on pace to hit his goal of 100 million vaccine doses administered in his first 100 days as soon as the end of next week. And the Biden administration is expanding capacity at a number of long-term facilities that hold immigrant children, to address an ongoing surge of unaccompanied minors at the border. Biden pledged to set up a police oversight board within his first 100 days, but there's been no clear movement in that direction so far. AdAnd some of his promises are waiting on Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed by the Senate.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Housing secretary nominee Marcia Fudge told senators Thursday that she would take “extraordinary actions” to prevent people from losing their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fudge championed homeownership as a classically American “ticket to the middle class” and endorsed federal financial assistance to expand the ranks of minority homeowners. And we are in extraordinary times,” said Fudge, speaking remotely from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. Fudge also endorsed direct federal financial assistance to help prospective minority homeowners with the down payment on a mortgage. When Kennedy asked her directly whether she believed Republicans cared about Black Americans, Fudge tersely answered, “I do, some, yes.”Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, defended Fudge.

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2020, file photo, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of S.C., speaks during a news conference about COVID-19, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pelosi will start the Biden era with a narrow majority, 222-211, with a few races still undecided. Biden's first pick from the House, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., would join the administration quickly once the president-elect is inaugurated Jan. 20, Clyburn said. Democrats are already deep into political soul-searching after a dismal November outcome for House Democrats. The danger zone was close enough that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer warned Biden last month off taking any more Democrats from his ranks.

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Native American Caucus co-chair, speaks to reporters about the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Haaland as interior secretary. The historic pick would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. Scott Applewhite, File)President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland, saying she would make an “excellent choice” as interior secretary.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Shortly after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last month, Cabinet hopeful Marcia Fudge pointedly noted that Black people are often typecast into positions such as housing secretary. He’s pledged to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history and restore experience at beleaguered federal agencies. The GOP has barely acknowledged Biden's victory so the cooperation of its senators in the confirmation process is far from certain. “That’s why we are worried.”One prominent feature of Biden’s picks so far: deep ties to the Obama administration. Brent Colburn, a former Obama administration official who served in several agencies, encouraged Democrats to consider the bigger picture as they judge Biden's Cabinet.

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration. Vilsack “has the necessary qualifications and experience to steer the agency through these turbulent times,” said Rob Larew, the president of the National Farmers Union. Then mayor of Mount Pleasant in southeast Iowa, Vilsack volunteered for the up-and-coming Biden before he exited the presidential race. Despite that, in 2007, after his own brief presidential campaign, Vilsack endorsed Hillary Clinton, even with Biden also running. In his endorsement, Vilsack called Biden “a man with empathy, and a man who has the heart of a president.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):3:55 p.m.Several of the latest picks announced by President-elect Joe Biden are emphasizing the diversity of the backgrounds as they prepare to join an administration Biden has promised will reflect the varied experiences of Americans. Tom Vilsack, Biden’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture, noted he grew up in an orphanage near Pittsburgh. Biden spoke while introducing Vilsack, Fudge and three other top picks for his administration on Friday. ___3:05 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says the American public should have confidence in a coronavirus vaccine that may soon begin to become available. Biden fills Cabinet with former White House leaders— Hundreds of GOP members sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit— Joe Biden, Kamala Harris named Time magazine’s Person of the Year

Susan Rice, the Biden administration's choice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. His choice for agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, served in the same post for Obama for eight years. Above all, they know how government should and can work for all Americans.”Relying too heavily on Obama administration veterans has already begun to draw some grumbling from members of Biden's own party, however. Mark Riddle, a Democratic strategist who founded a pro-Biden Super PAC during the 2020 presidential campaign, said there is no danger in relying too heavily on “all star” former Obama administration leaders. “If we come out of the box on jobs, jobs, jobs, I feel great.

President-elect Joe Biden introduced his newest slate of nominees to fill key administration posts. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called them "leaders who will help deliver immediate relief to our great country from rural communities to big cities to everywhere in between." Mr. Biden on Friday said he "spent some time convincing" her to accept the nomination, and he highlighted that it is a "big and critical role." The position Mr. Biden nominated her for does not require Senate confirmation. Mr. Biden has already announced a slew of his picks for top positions in his administration, with 40 days to go until he's sworn into office.

President-elect Joe Biden is nominating former President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff Denis McDonough as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and other senior staff, the incoming Biden administration has a distinctly Obama feel. There's Denis McDonough, former President Barack Obama's chief of staff who Biden announced on Thursday would be nominated as the secretary of veterans affairs. Susan Rice, Obama's former U.N. ambassador and national security adviser, was named the director of Biden's White House Domestic Policy Council. Jeff Zients, who did stints as acting Office of Management and Budget director and a top economic adviser in the Obama White House, will return as Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator.

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2020 file photo, former national security adviser Susan Rice takes part in a discussion on global leadership at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. President-elect Joe Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador. In selecting Rice and McDonough, Biden is continuing to stockpile his administration with prominent members of the Obama administration. In choosing Rice to oversee the White House council, advisers said Biden is signaling the importance of domestic policy in his early agenda. McDonough was previously Obama’s deputy national security adviser, including during the Navy SEAL raid in 2011 that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and was a longtime congressional staffer.

Two Democratic women are contenders to be President-elect Joe Biden's secretary of agriculture. Vilsack spent eight years as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor. A longtime member of the House Agriculture Committee and a fierce advocate for food stamps, Fudge was originally discussed to become agriculture secretary. After two terms, Vilsack ran a 10-week campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination before withdrawing and throwing his support to Hillary Clinton, even as Biden remained among the field. Politico first reported the news of Fudge’s selection, while Axios was first to report Vilsack as agriculture secretary.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)DETROIT – In a meeting with leaders of some of the nation’s top civil rights organizations, President-elect Joe Biden reaffirmed Tuesday that his administration will prioritize racial justice and assemble a diverse Cabinet that can tackle pressing equity issues. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who will join the Biden administration as a senior adviser, also participated in the nearly two-hour virtual meeting with seven civil rights leaders. The talk touched on how racial justice will be a common thread as the Biden administration works to address policing and criminal justice reform, COVID-19, the nation’s racial wealth gap, voting rights and more. The civil rights leaders said they made clear that Biden's supporters expect him to deliver on his promises. Although Tuesday’s meeting with the Biden transition team seemed reserved for leaders of historic civil rights groups, other leaders are also in line for opportunities to lobby the incoming administration.

Two Democratic women are contenders to be President-elect Joe Biden's secretary of agriculture. Vilsack spent eight years as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor. A longtime member of the House Agriculture Committee and a fierce advocate for food stamps, Fudge was originally discussed to become agriculture secretary. After two terms, Vilsack ran a 10-week campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination before withdrawing and throwing his support to Hillary Clinton, even as Biden remained among the field. Politico first reported the news of Fudge’s selection, while Axios was first to report Vilsack as agriculture secretary.

Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge is President-elect Biden's pick to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, two people familiar with the decision told CBS News. Mr. Biden has also chosen Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary, according to a person familiar with the decision. If confirmed, Fudge, who represents parts of Cleveland and Akron and is a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, would be the second Black woman to lead the department. Patricia Roberts Harris held the job under Jimmy Carter, becoming the first Black woman to be a member of the United States Cabinet. Fudge currently serves on the Committee on House Administration, House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Education and Labor.

Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are in the running for the Cabinet position. (House Television via AP)WASHINGTON – One leading candidate for agriculture secretary hails from Cleveland, has the backing of progressives and has worked for years to boost food stamp programs. Tom Vilsack, who served as Obama’s agriculture secretary for eight years, is also being considered. Biden has said he wants a diverse Cabinet, and some Black leaders have said he needs to do more to achieve that. “You won't find a better person thant Heidi Heitkamp,” Manchin said in a statement, adding that she would make a “tremendous” agriculture secretary.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to expand the racial and ideological diversity in his choices for Cabinet and other top jobs. Of the nine major picks Biden has made so far, only two — Secretary of State choice Antony Blinken and chief of staff Ron Klain — are white men. Today’s Senate is more bare-knuckled and hyper-partisan than when Biden was vice president, including GOP senators eyeing their own 2024 White House runs. During his decades in the Senate and even while serving as Obama's vice president, Biden relied on a small group of close advisers who were largely white. King said he hoped Biden would appoint an African American to one of the “big four” posts, especially attorney general.