Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, led 122 House Democrats in a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner requesting information regarding questionable staff terminations, stop-work orders, funding cancellations, and the role of private corporations through the influence of the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”)—led by Trump’s unelected billionaire co-President, Elon Musk. The Congresswoman was joined by key House Democrats in hand-delivering the letter to HUD.

In the letter, the lawmakers also sound the alarm on how recent Trump Administration and DOGE actions to weaken HUD would exacerbate the worsening housing and homelessness crisis and perpetuate illegal housing discrimination.

“As our nation faces one of the worst housing and homelessness crises in history, HUD’s role in addressing this crisis is more critical now than ever,” wrote the lawmakers. “Plans to terminate HUD staff across the country, freeze HUD funding which makes up less than 1% of all federal spending, as well as the decision to ‘[go] after’ the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule and halt fair housing enforcement efforts under the Equal Access Rule, are cause for deep concern about the future of fair and affordable housing in this great nation.”

Additionally, the lawmakers point out the blatant conflict of interest between the work of HUD and the DOGE personnel who have infiltrated the agency.

“Just as concerning is that several individuals from DOGE who we understand to be currently stationed at HUD, including Scott Langmack and Michael Mirski, come from the very industries that stand to gain from the dismantling of the federal government’s role in housing and consumer protections, and the path that creates for greater housing market consolidation and profiteering at the expense of families.” Wrote the lawmakers.

DOGE’s Scott Langmack is Chief Operating Officer of Kunkun, which is a property technology (PropTech) startup that provides automated valuation models that are subject to Fair Housing Act compliance enforced by HUD. DOGE’s Michael Mirski is Managing Member of TCC Asset Management LLC, which purchases and consolidates manufactured housing communities as well as RV parks. HUD programs, like the PRICE Program, help keep manufactured housing communities affordable for everyday people. HUD also establishes industry standards for manufactured housing production.

Full list of signers: Adams, Amo, Ansari, Balint, Barragán, Beatty, Bishop, Bonamici, Brownley, Brown, Bynum, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Casar, Casten, Castor, Castro, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Costa, Crow, Davis, Dean, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Escobar, Evans, Fields, Figures, Foster, Frost, García (IL), Garamendi, Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX), Goldman, Gomez, Gonzalez, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Green, Grijalva, Hernández, Himes, Horsford, Hoyle, Jackson, Jacobs, Jayapal, Jeffries, Johnson (GA), Johnson (TX), Keating, Kelly, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larsen, Lee, Leger Fernandez, Liccardo, Lynch, Magaziner, McBride, McClellan, McCollum, McGarvey, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Menendez, Meng, Moore, Moulton, Mullin, Nadler, Neguse, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pallone, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pressley, Ramirez, Randall, Raskin, Ross, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Scott (GA), Scott (VA), Sewell, Sherman, Simon, Smith, Stansbury, Subramanyam, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson, Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (CA), Torres (NY), Turner, Underwood, Vargas, Velázquez, Watson Coleman, Williams, Wilson

See the letter here.

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