Warren, Smith Question Trump on Damage from Funding Shut Down on Housing for Families and Lowering Housing Costs
“We are in the middle of a housing crisis…Congress and the public need answers on how the Administration’s reckless actions are affecting Americans that rely on HUD programs”
“Gross mismanagement” by Trump Administration raises concerns about funds to break ground on new affordable housing, remove lead paint, house veterans and the homeless
Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senator Tina Smith, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development,wrote to President Donald Trump requesting information on the impact of President Trump’s bungled and chaotic effort to shut down federal funding on the Department for Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ability to serve American families and lower housing costs.
The members sought clarity on the impact of the shut down, as local communities face uncertainty about their access to key HUD resources. Although OMB rescinded a memo announcing the freeze, and the memo’s implementation was blocked by the courts, the White House Press Secretary claimed within minutes that the “President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented.” The status of HUD programs, including those serving vulnerable people and communities that do not have direct lines to the Trump Administration, continues to be uncertain.
America is in the middle of a housing crisis – with a shortage of approximately 5 million housing units nationwide and nearly 43 million households paying more for their rent or mortgage than they can afford. HUD is the federal agency on the front lines of addressing this crisis.
The senators asked President Trump and the Acting HUD Secretary a series of questions to provide clarity on whether families, local governments, and non-profits will be able to access grants for housing construction and preservation, housing assistance, affordable mortgage credit, and assistance for people who are experiencing homelessness.
“Communities and families rely on HUD to keep its word and to keep its doors open so that they can pay rent today and build the housing we need for tomorrow,” wrote the senators.
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