The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs published a minority press release issuing a letter from Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren and House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters urging the two committees’ chairs to call Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner to testify on whistleblower allegations that HUD is failing to enforce fair housing and civil rights laws. The letter cites allegations from current and former staff in HUD’s General Counsel Office of Fair Housing (OFH) and the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) that leadership has deprioritised fair housing work and is moving to reduce OFH staffing by 70 percent, despite warnings about impacts on statutory functions. It also points to a reported plan to reassign 75 percent of the OFH VAWA team, including supervisors, and alleges that OFH attorneys have been restricted from communicating with internal and external parties without political approval, alongside the dropping of major housing discrimination investigations and cases, including matters where civil rights violations had already been found.
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs 2025-09-30
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs minority urges committees to summon HUD Secretary Turner to testify on alleged fair housing enforcement failures
The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs released a letter from Ranking Members Elizabeth Warren and Maxine Waters urging committee chairs to summon HUD Secretary Scott Turner to address whistleblower claims of inadequate enforcement of fair housing and civil rights laws. Allegations include deprioritizing fair housing, plans to cut Office of Fair Housing staffing by 70%, and restricting OFH attorneys' communications without political approval. The letter also highlights the reassignment of 75% of the OFH VAWA team and dropping significant housing discrimination cases.