Article snippet: A congressional oversight committee is asking Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to provide documents explaining why the agency decided to buy a $31,000 dining set for the secretary's office suite - despite a $5,000 limit on spending to redecorate offices. The House Oversight Committee letter asks HUD to produce documents and communication related to redecorating the secretary's office. Chairman Trey Gowdy asked the agency to provide all documents "To help the committee determine whether HUD adhered to the applicable spending limitations while redecorating your office" in the letter. He wrote that HUD must provide the information by March 14 and wants officials to brief the committee. The committee's requests come on the heels of news about a complaint filed by former chief administrative officer Helen Foster in November. In the complaint, she says that shortly before President Donald Trump's inauguration, then acting-Secretary Craig Clemmensen asked her to help then get funds approved to redecorate Ben Carson's office at the agency. Foster says she told Clemmensen that there was a $5,000 legal limit but he allegedly responded that the "administration has always found ways around that in the past" and told her to "find money" to purchase furniture. He allegedly said "$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair," according to the complaint. Clemmensen did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The agency provided documents to AB... Link to the full article to read more