U.S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Ben Carson as the 17th Secretary of HUD on Thursday, with a vote of 58 to 41.

In his confirmation hearing on January 24, Carson committed to taking a more “holistic” approach to housing, advocating for expanded public-private partnerships. He indicated his criticism of ineffective government programs that create dependency. With no prior experience in government or housing, Carson plans to surround himself with experts and conduct a countrywide listening tour to learn from HUD employees and public servants.

The Committee of Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs offered unanimous support and despite initial hesitancy from Democrats based on his criticism of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, he received support from both sides of the aisle.

As HUD Secretary, he will be in charge of HUD’s annual budget of nearly $49 billion and over 8000 employees who oversee affordable housing programs.

Carson succeeds Julián Castro, who stepped down after two and a half years.