Marcia Fudge, Biden's HUD secretary, is stepping down next week

U.S. Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge is leaving the Biden-Harris administration.

According to an email Fudge sent to her staff on Monday, she's stepping down next Friday. The email, which was obtained by Politico, stated that serving as HUD secretary “was the ideal opportunity to culminate a career focused on doing the most good for the most people, including those who have often been left behind or left out ... With mixed emotions, I am announcing my retirement and resignation from the position of Secretary of HUD, effective March 22, 2024.”

A statement by the White House said Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will serve as acting secretary once Fudge leaves office.

"Under Marcia’s transformational leadership, we have worked hard to lower housing costs and increase supply. We’ve proposed the largest investment in affordable housing in U.S. history. We’ve taken steps to aggressively combat racial discrimination in housing by ensuring home appraisals are more fair and by strengthening programs to redress the negative impacts of redlining," President Joe Biden said in the statement.  "Thanks to Secretary Fudge, we’ve helped first-time homebuyers, and we are working to cut the cost of renting. And there are more housing units under construction right now than at any time in the last 50 years."

The 71-year-old, who transitioned from serving as the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, to a congressional representative in Ohio, has been HUD Secretary since President Biden took office. When she resigns, it will be the second departure in the administration after Labor Secretary Marty Walsh left last year.