During a Thursday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) confronted Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner over his handling of homelessness policy, at one point shouting for him to stop referencing previous administrations.

Turner told the committee that HUD recorded more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2024 — the highest figure in U.S. history — occurring during what he called "record funding" under prior leadership.

Gillibrand pressed Turner on his own accomplishments since taking office in February of last year, noting he had been in the position for over a year and asking for measurable results.

So I get you want to do things differently, Gillibrand said. And this committee will support you as long as the goals are good, but where's the result?

Turner responded by criticizing previous housing policies, saying, The plays that were ran before I got here, they failed. He also cited a 43-day government shutdown in the fall for delaying HUD's latest point-in-time report on homelessness.

Gillibrand grew visibly frustrated as Turner continued to reference the Biden administration rather than his own plans.

Stop talking about Biden, talk about your record, Gillibrand said, raising her voice. This is so inaccurate, unhelpful, and doesn't let this committee do our job.

She later asked Turner whether he knew what it was like for a homeless little girl who relies on a Girl Scout troop for consistency in her life. I need to know if your stuff is working, she added.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and housing advocates have largely sided with Gillibrand's line of questioning, arguing that Turner has had sufficient time since taking office to demonstrate progress on homelessness.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said on social media that cabinet secretaries should be held accountable for their own records rather than deflecting criticism onto predecessors.

Housing advocacy groups including the National Low Income Housing Coalition have pointed to Turner's repeated criticism of the "Housing First" model — which prioritizes providing permanent housing before requiring treatment or other conditions — as concerning. The coalition argues that research supports the approach and that insufficient affordable housing supply, not policy design, is the primary driver of homelessness.

Progressive Democrats have also noted that Turner has been in his role for more than a year, meaning any data from his tenure should now be available for congressional oversight.

What the Right Is Saying

Turner and Republican defenders argue that the previous administration's policies failed to reduce homelessness despite increased funding. They contend that continuing the same approach would be misguided.

Turner reiterated during the hearing that he believes the Housing First model failed to produce results. I'm not talking to you about what I've heard, he told Gillibrand. I'm talking to you about what I know. And what I do know: The Housing First model failed.

Conservative commentators have argued that Turner deserves time to implement his own vision after inheriting a complex crisis. Some have noted that the 43-day government shutdown complicated HUD's ability to collect and release data on homelessness.

Republican members of the subcommittee echoed Turner's concerns about policy effectiveness, arguing that new approaches are warranted given persistent high levels of homelessness despite years of increased federal spending under prior administrations.

What the Numbers Show

HUD's 2024 point-in-time count recorded approximately 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States at a single point in time — the highest figure since data collection began.

The 117-page HUD report identified several contributing factors: worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, and persisting effects of systemic racism stretching homelessness service systems to their limits.

Federal funding for homeless assistance programs has increased significantly over the past decade. According to HUD budget documents, the department's Homeless Assistance Grants program received approximately $3.6 billion in fiscal year 2024, up from roughly $2 billion a decade earlier.

Turner took office in February 2025. The most recent comprehensive homelessness data released by HUD covers January 2024, meaning no point-in-time count has been published under his leadership.

The Bottom Line

The exchange highlights ongoing partisan tensions over federal housing policy and accountability at HUD. Gillibrand's insistence that Turner present his own record rather than critique predecessors reflects Democratic frustration with what they characterize as deflection from oversight responsibilities.

Turner's criticism of Housing First marks a potential policy shift at HUD, which under the previous administration prioritized providing permanent housing to homeless individuals before connecting them to services on a voluntary basis. The effectiveness and cost-efficiency of alternative approaches remain subjects of debate among housing researchers.

Congress will likely continue pressing Turner for data on homelessness under his tenure once HUD releases its delayed report. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed interest in seeing measurable outcomes, though they differ on the underlying causes and solutions to the nation's affordable housing shortage.