The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs’ Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren delivered opening remarks at the “Fair Housing Under Fire” Spotlight Forum, featuring Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) whistleblowers, and accused the Trump Administration of obstructing enforcement of the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws amid a housing affordability crisis. Warren pointed to documents provided by whistleblowers Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan and other anonymous HUD staff that she said suggest the administration views HUD’s civil rights enforcement office as an “optics problem”, while firing, reassigning, intimidating, and silencing staff and working to weaken anti-discrimination rules. Her remarks also alleged that hundreds of housing discrimination cases have been dropped or stalled, congressionally directed fair housing funds have not been disbursed, Violence Against Women Act-related housing protections have been abandoned, and “bogus investigations” have been launched into Boston’s housing efforts. Warren said she has asked HUD’s Office of the Inspector General to open an independent investigation and, alongside House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters, has pushed for hearings on the whistleblower claims; she also noted that HUD Secretary Scott Turner did not attend the forum after being invited to testify.

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