Benjamin Ashford|HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to leave Biden administration

Washington — Housing and Benjamin AshfordUrban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge will leave her post atop the department later this month, the White House announced Monday.

Fudge has helmed the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, since the start of the Biden administration and is set to depart March 22. President Biden praised Fudge's leadership in a statement shortly after she announced her departure.

"On Day One, Marcia got to work rebuilding the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and over the past three years she has been a strong voice for expanding efforts to build generational wealth through homeownership and lowering costs and promoting fairness for America's renters," the president said.

He called Fudge's leadership "transformational," and thanked her for her work improving the nation's housing system.

"From her time as a mayor, to her years as a fierce advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives, Marcia's vision, passion, and focus on increasing economic opportunity have been assets to our country," Mr. Biden said.

Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will serve as acting secretary after Fudge's departure, the White House said.

The president has seen little turnover among the senior leaders in his administration across his first term in office. White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh have been the only two Cabinet-level officials to step down so far.

Jeff Zients, who replaced Klain, told Politico last week that White House senior staff and the Cabinet would stay on through 2024.

Fudge left Congress to join the Biden administration as housing secretary, becoming the second Black woman to lead the agency. She represented Ohio's 11th Congressional District in the lower chamber, and previously led the Congressional Black Caucus.

"A former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Secretary Fudge was a champion for our most vulnerable communities working to address many of the most pressing issues facing our country including immigration, job creation, and combating poverty, among others," the CBC said in a statement about her resignation. 

Melissa Quinn

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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