Mel Martinez, the nation's 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, yesterday announced he is resigning from the office he assumed on January 24, 2001. His resignation is effective at noon on Friday, December 12.

"It has been a great privilege to serve in the President's Cabinet and lead the 9,300 hard-working employees of HUD," said Secretary Martinez. "President Bush understands the importance of our work, and the many positive ways in which it is transforming families and communities. Together, we have expanded homeownership opportunities to more Americans and helped countless others find affordable housing in the communities of their choice.

"I am indebted to the President and greatly honored to have served with the people of HUD. HUD's staff boasts some of the most talented and dedicated public servants of any federal department. I am inspired on a daily basis by their compassion and by the sense of purpose they bring to their work."