On March 17, 108 members of Congress sent a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner expressing concern over recent staff terminations and their impact on the agency’s ability to fulfill its statutory requirements. The letter highlighted reports that HUD plans to terminate half of all staff — including 77 percent of those within the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) — in addition to the 780 employees that have already been terminated. In their letter, the lawmakers argued these recent actions pose a significant risk to the agency’s statutory duties to enforce fair housing laws and protect civil rights.
The congressmembers requested Turner provide eight items by March 27: (i) current FHEO staffing levels and changes since January 19; (ii) planned layoffs and restructuring impacts; (iii) the number and status of pending fair housing complaints; (iv) details of complaints closed since January 20; (v) information about DOGE activities and personnel at HUD; (vi) a list of canceled or potentially canceled fair housing contracts; (vii) a copy of HUD’s proposed Equal Access Rule submitted to OMB; and (viii) a detailed plan outlining how HUD intends to continue fair housing law enforcement. The lawmakers emphasized that Turner’s enforcement of fair housing and civil rights laws was not discretionary but a legal obligation, warning that executive orders cannot override statutes enacted by Congress.
