Carson plans to leave HUD after 2020 election

WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is planning on leaving his post at the end of President Trump’s first term, he said Monday.

“I will certainly finish out this term,” Carson said during an interview with Newsmax TV. "I would be interested in returning to the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there.”

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, joined the administration after a presidential bid during the 2016 election.

Democrats have criticized Carson for his enforcement of fair housing laws and his rolling back certain Obama-era regulations designed to force local governments to take steps to undo and prevent racial segregation.

Carson has also faced criticism on both sides of the aisle after reports leaked that he had spent $31,000 in taxpayer money on a new dining set for his office.

Under Carson, the department also began to amend its use of the "disparate impact" standard in fair-lending rules, and released questions for public comment in June about how HUD could redefine the standard.