Gallego, Colleagues Call on HUD to Rescind Rule That Would Kick Americans Out of Housing, Add Administrative Burden

“There are many ways to improve housing affordability for Americans, and implementing an arbitrary, punitive proposal to kick families out of housing and cut off their benefits at a time when housing is more unaffordable than ever is not one of them.” WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) , a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, joined 21 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Scott Turner, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), voicing urgent opposition to HUD’s notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow the broad implementation of work requirements and term limits on rental assistance, further restricting public housing benefits and rental assistance for families in need under the Trump administration. “If finalized, the proposed rule would weaken the nation’s social safety net without meaningfully addressing the fundamental barriers to workforce participation and economic stability. It would also undermine affordable access to housing for American families, including those who work irregular hours, attend education programs, or provide care to loved ones,” wrote the Senators. “If HUD moves forward with this rulemaking, there is risk of real harm to families who rely on public housing or rental assistance to obtain safe and affordable housing. Experts estimate that as many as 3 million people may be removed from HUD-assisted housing as a result of the rule, if finalized,” continued the Senators. “Rather than increasing housing supply, HUD finds that the NPRM will instead increase both administrative costs and costs on renters who lose assistance. According to the NPRM RIA, the costs of unit turnover and administering the policy will be anywhere between $15.3 million and $255.8 million in the first year, and between $2 million and $29 million every year thereafter,” wrote the Senators. The Senators concluded: “We call on HUD to rescind this NPRM, which exceeds its statutory authority and poses real risks to affordable access to housing for families across the country, including those who are working, seeking economic mobility through education, or caring for loved ones. There are many ways to improve housing affordability for Americans, and implementing an arbitrary, punitive proposal to kick families out of housing and cut off their benefits at a time when housing is more unaffordable than ever is not one of them.” The comment letter was led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and was cosigned by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD),  Ed Markey (D-MA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), in addition to Senator Gallego. Read the full letter HERE . This letter comes after, last week, Senator Gallego led his colleagues in calling on HUD to undo dangerous policy changes made in the recently announced notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for housing counseling, which would drastically narrow the activities eligible for funding under HUD’s housing counseling program. In January, Senator Gallego released his plan to tackle America’s housing affordability crisis. “The Path Home: Rebuilding the American Dream and Restoring Housing Affordability” lays out his vision to build more, build faster, and ensure working people can afford the homes we build.