Rubio Announces Senate Hearing on Global Ministries Foundation, HUD Inspections Process

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following video statement today after the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs announced its Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development will hold a hearing on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) inspections process. The hearing is scheduled for next Thursday, September 22 at 10:00 a.m. EDT in Room 538 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“We’ve been on top of the slumlords at Global Ministries‎ Foundation for a year now. And this is another step in holding them accountable,” said Rubio, who will speak as a witness at the hearing. “They’ve been stealing taxpayer dollars. They’ve been endangering the health and safety of people. And I’ve been disgusted by these slumlords. They’re crooks. But I’m glad we’re able to keep highlighting what they did, and fix the way the federal government does housing inspections, so this can be prevented from ever happening again to anyone in the future. I want to thank Senators Tim Scott and Richard Shelby for recognizing this is an important issue and agreeing to hold this hearing.”

A video of Rubio’s statement can be watched here and a downloadable broadcast quality version is available for TV stations here.

Tracy Grant, President of Eureka Gardens Tenants’ Association in Jacksonville, is among the witnesses who will testify.

“I want to thank my friend Senator Rubio for his important work on this issue. This hearing is a necessary step towards a thorough investigation and holding the Global Ministries Foundation and HUD accountable for these poor, uninhabitable living conditions. I am looking forward to hearing from Senator Rubio and each witness to get to the bottom of this and ensuring HUD’s inspection process is not harming the health and safety of American families,”said Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development.

“Senator Rubio has led the effort to ensure safe housing for residents and to protect taxpayer dollars by demanding accountability and transparency within the HUD inspection process. I’m pleased that Senator Scott called this hearing, and I know that Senator Rubio’s perspective will be an asset to this important dialogue,” said Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Rubio has successfully pushed for investigations into Global Ministries Foundation, which is now being scrutinized by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In May, the Senate passed legislation that included three Rubio amendments to improve HUD’s oversight of public housing projects.