Trump's HUD Is Pushing Low-Income Tenants Out of Subsidized Housing

"The policy change was set to take effect on March 30, but HUD backed down on its implementation after tenants' groups filed a lawsuit on March 2. On March 13, HUD announced it would delay implementation of the policy change indefinitely and give the public 60 days to comment on the proposal, which would have left the nation's poorest tenants in certain states vulnerable to "rapid, unfair evictions" for being "as little as one dollar short or one day late on rent.""

"The proposal is backed by the landlord lobby and would revoke the 30-day notice rule, which requires federally subsidized housing authorities to notify tenants about unpaid rent and other charges at least 30 days before an eviction. The 30-day notice rule protects vulnerable renters in states with few legal protections, and the proposal is one of several by the Trump administration that would deepen housing insecurity amid an affordability crisis that is driving record rates of homelessness."

"Scott Turner, President Donald Trump's housing secretary at HUD, is also pushing controversial time limits and work requirements for federal housing assistance alongside new regulations that critics say are designed to separate families with mixed immigration status as part of Trump's mass deportation agenda."

Housing advocates secured a temporary victory when tenants' rights groups filed a lawsuit that prompted HUD to delay implementation of a policy change scheduled for March 30. The policy would have eliminated the 30-day notice requirement for evictions in federally subsidized housing, leaving vulnerable renters susceptible to rapid evictions for minor rent shortfalls. HUD announced on March 13 that implementation would be delayed indefinitely, allowing 60 days for public comment. The proposal, backed by landlord lobbies, represents one of several Trump administration initiatives that critics argue would worsen housing insecurity during an affordability crisis. HUD Secretary Scott Turner is simultaneously advancing controversial time limits, work requirements for housing assistance, and regulations targeting families with mixed immigration status.

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