Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson is removing language from the department’s mission statement that ensures inclusivity and discrimination-free communities, according to a report by HuffPo.
In a memo sent to staff on March 5, the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs, Amy Thompson, said that the statement was changing “in an effort to align HUD’s mission with the Secretary’s priorities and that of the Administration,” HuffPo reports.
According to the memo, the new mission statement will read:
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.
The old statement, which can still be found on HUD’s website, reads:
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.
“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,” she continued in the memo.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently changed its mission statement and removed language that said the country was “a nation of immigrants.”
