For the second time this week, Congressional Democrats pressed Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson over his involvement in the agency's decision to order a $31,000 dining set for Carson's office.

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Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., also asked Carson about the department's decision to revise its mission statement, potentially removing language about anti-discrimination programs.

The draft of the new statement, first reported by the Huffington Post, references "self-sufficiency," which Carson has emphasized as part of an effort to get people out of public housing and assistance programs.

"Mission statements may not be policy directives but in this case, you've established a pattern and a practice of suggesting that HUD intends to reverse course and ignore its statutory obligation to end housing discrimination and promote inclusive communities. That's not something that many of us are going to stand by," Menendez said.

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