(Adds details on COVID-19 housing aid, confirmation hearing remarks) WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Democratic Representative Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, giving President Joe Biden another cabinet member focused strongly on reducing economic inequalities. The Senate voted 66-34 in favor of Fudge’s nomination, with all Democrats and independents and 16 Republicans voting in favor of the Ohio congresswoman who has sometimes made incendiary remarks about Republicans. Fudge, 68, during her confirmation hearing called for more housing aid to help tens of millions of people who are behind on rent and 3 million homeowners currently in forbearance or delinquent on their mortgages due to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill passed on Wednesday includes $45 billion to help struggling households pay rent, mortgages and utilities, and place homeless people into housing. The government estimates that 12 million people owe an average of $5,800 in back rent and utilities. “My first priority as secretary would be to alleviate that crisis and get people the support they need to come back from the edge,” Fudge told the Senate Finance Committee. As HUD secretary, she would be responsible for distributing much of the COVID-19 housing aid. She also said called for stronger efforts to level the playing field for people of color, those with less education and suffering from discrimination, a move that put her at odds with some Republicans. Fudge also spent a substantial amount of time in her confirmation hearing deflecting Republican criticism of her comments last year when she said Republicans bent on replacing late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November presidential election “are a disgrace to this nation.” Fudge said she was not always “pitch perfect” but pledged to work with Republicans as HUD secretary. (Reporting by David Lawder, Editing by Franklin Paul and Giles Elgood)