HUD Secretary Ben Carson Spends $31,000 in Taxpayer Funds on Dining Room Furniture, Violates Federal Law

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $31,561 on custom-made dining room furniture for HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s office in late 2017, in apparent violation of federal law requiring Congressional approval for department head office redecoration costs exceeding $5,000. The furniture order, placed on December 21 from Baltimore-based Sebree and Associates, included a mahogany table, ten chairs with velvet upholstery, a sideboard, and a hutch. HUD initially denied Carson’s involvement, but internal emails released under FOIA contradicted those claims, revealing “printouts of the furniture the Secretary and Mrs. Carson picked out.”

Background

In November 2017, Helen G. Foster, HUD’s former chief administrative officer, filed a whistleblower complaint with the Office of Special Counsel alleging she had been demoted and transferred as retaliation after refusing to secure funding for the Secretary’s office redecoration that exceeded the legal $5,000 limit. HUD spokesman Raffi Williams initially stated “Mrs. Carson and the secretary had no awareness that the table was being purchased,” but emails obtained by American Oversight through FOIA requests on March 14 proved this was false. Carson later claimed the old dining table was “dangerous” and blamed his wife for selecting the expensive furniture.

On March 1, 2018, after public outcry, HUD confirmed Carson requested the furniture order be cancelled. However, in May 2019, the Government Accountability Office’s general counsel confirmed to Congress that HUD participated in illegal spending with the purchase, specifically violating section 710 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Acts of 2016 and 2017, and the Antideficiency Act. Despite these violations, HUD’s inspector general released a report on September 12, 2019, clearing Carson of personal misconduct.

Significance

The $31,000 dining set scandal exemplified the Trump Cabinet’s pattern of using taxpayer funds for personal luxury while administering programs serving America’s poorest citizens. Carson’s willingness to violate federal spending limits for office furniture - exceeding the legal cap by more than 600% - demonstrated contempt for financial accountability and oversight. The initial lies about Carson’s involvement, followed by shifting blame to his wife, revealed a reflexive dishonesty characteristic of Trump administration officials caught in ethics violations. Foster’s whistleblower retaliation claim highlighted how career civil servants who tried to enforce legal spending limits faced punishment rather than support. The GAO’s confirmation of illegal spending, combined with the IG’s decision to clear Carson despite documented violations, illustrated the double standard of accountability for political appointees versus career employees.