In this video by Now This, via CSPAN, Democratic Rep Al Green lights a fire under the feet of Housing Secretary Ben Carson, but it would seem even with his feet on fire, Carson opts to walk to the lake.

On the subject of the proposed cuts of billions of dollars to HUD, Carson either doesn’t know, doesn’t care or refuses to answer the questions. Texas Rep. Al Green presses and presses, and even gives Carson several easy outs to just admit he doesn’t know the answers, but Carson chooses to prove his ignorance again, and again — and again. Here is the video.

Green: Sir, you have indicated that there will be substantial cuts to the budget that HUD (Housing and Urband Development) has. Can you give me that dollar amount? I’m showing that it’s about $6 billion, is that correct? Carson: Tha’ts about right. Green: About 13 per cent of the budget? Carson: Yes. Green And would these cuts, Mr. Carson, come from public housing vouchers, community development block grants and other aid to low income persons? Carson: They come from a variety of sources, including — Green: How much from public housing, Mr. Carson? Carson: Uh, probably in the neighborhood of, if you combine all the programs, uh, $2 billon to $3 billion. Green: $2 billion to $3 billion? How much from housing vouchers, Mr. Carson? Carson: Uh, rather than go through a quiz on all the numbers, uh- Green: It’s not a quiz, Mr. Carson. I have the time to ask you questions about things you should have some knowledge of. If you have no knowledge of them you can simply say so. I’ll accept it as an answer. This is something within your bailiwick my dear sir. How much from housing vouchers? Carson: Uh, again, I can give you that number… Green: Well, if you can give it to me, I would greatly appreciate it, because I’m about to go on to community block grants. Carson: Well, here’s my point. I agree with you that it’s difficult to do these things. Green: That is not — that has little to do with my question. You’re answering a question that I’m not asking to be quite candid with you. So will you kindly tell me how much HUD is going to — how much you’re going to cut from the HUD budget as it relates to housing vouchers? Now if you don’t know, it’s okay to say you don’t know, Mr. Carson. I don’t hold you to things you don’t know. How much are you… Carson: Let’s just move on and say I don’t want to offer that number because it’s… Green: Why would the Secretary of HUD not give the number, the amount your cutting from housing vouchers, Mr. Carson? You’re the Secretary of HUD. You’re making the cut!

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Carson: Because we already talked about the total amount of the cuts. Green: Well, the total amount of the cuts does not help me when it comes to the housing vouchers. I have people who need to use housing vouchers and I need to be able to explain to them, Mr. Carson, how much the cuts portends for them. How much Mr. Carson? Carson: I don’t want to open the book and look at the numbers. Green: I see, so you don’t want to say how much you’re cutting from housing vouchers, or how much are you cutting from community block grants, Mr. Carson? Carson: I don’t want to talk about… Green: Mr. Carson, you don’t get to talk about what you want to today. You get to talk about what I want you to talk about. You get to answer the questions I post, Mr. Carson. Carson: Yeah, but I also get to answer the question the way I want to. Green: Well, you can answer them the way you want, but if you want to show a lack of knowledge, you can do this. It’s quite alright, Mr. Carson. So how much from community development block grants, Mr. Secretary? Carson: Again, I’m not willing to sit there and … Green: So you don’t know how much from community developing block grants? Carson: I’m not going to go through the list, this much, this much and this much. I think that… Green: I’ll move on, Mr. Carson. I’ll accept your lack of knowledge. Now, Mr. Carson, there seems to be a belief of among the ranks of those who have opportunities to help others, who have been blessed themselves. They seem to think that the rich need more, that the poor can do more with less, but the rich will have to have more to do more. Mr. Carson, if poor people could do more with less, there would be no poor people. Poor people are not poor because they choose to be. There is still, Mr. Carson, invidious discrimination in the United States of America. While you might not suffer it, there are others who do. And they need to know what you plan to do, and I regret that you’re unable to tell us today.

Cheers to Rep. Al Green. If there were a large live audience there, I beleive he might have gotten a standing ovation, regardless of political persuasion. I would say Secretary Carson has met his match, but I’m not sure there is a low enough match for Carson in this field. I have to ask this question. Is it me, or does Carson sound like he’s on some kind of a mood-altering recreational substance that causes him to be unable to answer questions in any kind of timely manner? Or is this Ben Carson, as is? In either case, another Trump appointee continues to show ineptness, unfitness and a lack of empathy towards fellow human beings. Like peas in a pod. May Carson go down with Trump — and may it be soon.