Inclusion is out and discrimination is in at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Ben Carson and Donald Trump. Also out: protecting consumers and improving quality of life. Carson is changing HUD’s mission statement to reflect Trump values. The existing mission statement read:
HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination, and transform the way HUD does business.
Carson is replacing it with this:
HUD’s mission is to ensure Americans have access to fair, affordable housing and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency, thereby strengthening our communities and nation.
Talk about the opposite of mission creep. This vastly smaller mission may be all someone of Carson’s leadership skills can handle, but it’s also explicitly about values:
In a March 5 memo addressed to HUD political staff, Amy Thompson, the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs, explained that the statement is being updated “in an effort to align HUD’s mission with the Secretary’s priorities and that of the Administration.” [...]
“An organization’s mission is never static,” Thompson wrote in the memo, which was shared with HuffPost by a HUD employee. “A mission statement describes an organization’s purpose, what it intends to do, and whom it intends to serve. Most importantly, an organization’s activities must be embodied in its mission.”
So take it as a statement of what the Trump administration thinks is important, and inclusion, freedom from discrimination, sustainability, bolstering the economy, protecting consumers, quality of life, and quality of housing don’t make the cut.