The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
This afternoon, the Senate easily confirmed Julián Castro as the next Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), by a 71-26 vote.
President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers remarks announcing his intent to nominate Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan as Office of Management and Budget Director and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to replace him, in the State Dining Room of the White House, May 23, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
This afternoon, the Senate overwhelmingly approved San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to be the next Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The vote was 71-26.
President Obama applauded the bipartisan majority of senators who quickly confirmed Mayor Castro for Secretary of HUD:
Julián is a proven leader, a champion for safe, affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods. I know that together with the dedicated professionals at HUD, Julián will help build on the progress we’ve made battling back from the Great Recession -- rebuilding our housing market, reducing homelessness among veterans, and connecting neighborhoods with good schools and good jobs that help our citizens succeed.
Back in May, the President nominated Mayor Castro to lead HUD, citing his work revitalizing San Antonio as an excellent example of the expertise and skill that he will bring to his new post. As mayor of San Antonio, Castro revitalized the city, implementing housing and economic development projects that have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investments.
Mayor Castro has developed strong relationships with other mayors all across the country and established important partnerships in the Administration's Promise Zones Initiative, which highlights San Antonio's success in partnering with local businesses and community leaders to foster economic growth and opportunity.
Mayor Castro has also not lost sight of his roots. In May, the President talked about how Mayor Castro's story represents the American Dream:
Julián’s grandmother came to this country from Mexico. She worked as a maid, worked as a cook, worked as a babysitter -- whatever she had to do to keep a roof over her family’s head. And that’s because for her, and generations of Americans like her, a home is more than just a house. A home is a source of pride and security. It’s a place to raise a family and put down roots and build up savings for college or a business or retirement, or write a lifetime of memories. And maybe one day the kid grows up in that home and is able to go on to get a great education and become the Mayor of San Antonio, and become a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Julián ha vivido el Sueño Americano. And it’s precisely because he’s lived out the American Dream that he’ll work his tail off to make sure more people can travel that same path and earn their own dreams as well.
Mayor Castro will bring his proven, on-the-ground success to HUD -- and his own story will remind him every day of what a home can mean to a family.
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