Bennet, Hickenlooper, DeGette, Neguse, Crow, Pettersen Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Federal Housing Support for Coloradans

Aug 26, 2025|Press Releases
Denver— Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and Colorado U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen demanded answers from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner on cuts to agency staff and the lease termination of the HUD Denver Regional Office. In the letter, the lawmakers expressed concern about disruptions to federal housing programs administered by the Denver Regional Office, which serves millions of families in Colorado and across the country, and processes billions in federal housing financing.
“We are writing to express serious concerns regarding the proposed staff reductions and the lease termination notice for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Denver Regional Office,”said the lawmakers. “These actions will make it much harder for Colorado constituents to access housing services and will jeopardize critical federal housing operations for multiple regions nationwide.”
The lawmakers highlight that – in addition to the office losing half of its staff since January – further staff reductions would jeopardize operations responsible for supporting affordable housing programs, critical infrastructure projects, housing rehabilitation, and disaster preparedness for local communities.
“Given the critical services provided by the Denver Regional Office, we urge you to take the
following steps. First, maintain current staffing levels and preserve critical housing programs that serve millions of Americans. Second, conduct a comprehensive analysis of how additional cuts would affect federal housing operations nationwide. Finally, engage with Colorado and regional partners who depend on coordination with the Denver Regional Office before implementing additional reductions to ensure service continuity,”continued the lawmakers.
The text of the letter is availableHEREand below.
Dear Secretary Turner,
We are writing to express serious concerns regarding the proposed staff reductions and the lease termination notice for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Denver
Regional Office. These actions will make it much harder for Colorado constituents to access
housing services and will jeopardize critical federal housing operations for multiple regions
nationwide.
The General Services Administration (GSA) issued a formal notice on February 25, 2025 that
HUD will vacate its office space in Denver on September 30, 2025. This termination is
particularly puzzling given that the Denver Regional Office is actively participating in GSA’s
own Space Match program, which was created to address shortages in available office space.
The Denver Regional Office houses critical operations, including the HUD Region 8 hub, the
Denver Homeownership Center, and Western Regional multifamily operations, collectively
serving millions of Americans and processing billions in federal housing financing.
Since January, this office has already reduced staff by 50% through the deferred resignation program and the removal of probationary employees.
Additional staff reductions would create immediate harm to Coloradans across the state who rely on the housing services provided by this office. Families waiting for housing vouchers would
face longer delays and reduced support. First-time homebuyers, veterans, and working families
seeking Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages would encounter processing
delays that could block their path to homeownership – all during a serious housing affordability
crisis. Local communities would experience slower processing of Community Development
Block Grants and other programs, delaying critical infrastructure projects and housing rehabilitation. Housing authorities and community development partners could lose their primary federal point of contact, disrupting ongoing programs and weakening disaster preparedness across Colorado.
Given the critical services provided by the Denver Regional Office, we urge you to take the
following steps. First, maintain current staffing levels and preserve critical housing programs that serve millions of Americans. Second, conduct a comprehensive analysis of how additional cuts would affect federal housing operations nationwide. Finally, engage with Colorado and regional partners who depend on coordination with the Denver Regional Office before implementing additional reductions to ensure service continuity. In addition, we request the following information:
We request a written response by September 12, 2025, regarding HUD’s proposed plans for the
Denver Regional Office lease expiration and any staffing reductions that would affect services to
Colorado constituents and critical federal housing services infrastructure.
We look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Write to Michael
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