Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) efforts to restore the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule.

“I am pleased that Secretary Fudge has begun to reverse the previous administration’s actions that gutted the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Under President Obama, HUD instituted the AFFH Rule to fully enforce provisions of the Fair Housing Act and strengthen local jurisdictions’ fair housing planning requirements. Instead of continuing the efforts to hold localities accountable to remedy racial residential segregation and ensure equitable investment in every community, the Trump Administration weakened protections by altering the definition of AFFH to focus on housing production, not fairness, absent accountability mechanisms. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, these changes left communities all the more vulnerable to heightened housing discrimination. Since the Trump Administration began its attack on civil rights in this country, I have been sounding the alarm on the importance of preserving the 2015 AFFH and 2013 Disparate Impact regulations. In December 2020, I called on then President-Elect Biden to take immediate action to undo the damage done by the previous administration. 

“I look forward to doing everything I can to help the Biden Administration and Secretary Fudge prioritize racial and economic justice by strengthening critical protections for those who have been historically and systemically excluded from equal housing opportunities. As we continue to push for housing as infrastructure and other important reforms to housing programs, we must ensure that robust fair housing regulations, oversight, and enforcement—including fair housing planning requirements—are in place to fully realize our promise to build back better and more equitably for generations to come.”

On June 9, 2021, Chairwoman Waters convened a full Committee virtual hearing entitled, “Universal Vouchers: Ending Homelessness and Expanding Economic Opportunity in America.”

On April 14, 2021, Chairwoman Waters convened a virtual Full Committee hearing entitled, “Build Back Better: Investing in Equitable and Affordable Housing Infrastructure.”

On April 26, 2021, Chairwoman Waters applauded HUD’s Withdrawal of Trump Administration Rule that Weakened Fair Housing Protections for LGBTQ+ Community.

On March 10, 2021, Chairwoman Waters applauded Marcia Fudge’s confirmation as HUD Secretary.

On March 10, 2021, Chairwoman Waters convened a full Committee virtual hearing entitled, “Justice for All: Achieving Racial Equity Through Fair Access to Housing and Financial Services.”

On January 27, 2021, Chairwoman Waters applauded President Biden’s Memorandum on Redressing Our Nation’s and the Federal Government’s History of Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies.

On December 4, 2020, Chairwoman Waters provided recommendations to then President-Elect Biden on Trump actions to reverse.

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