Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, delivered the following statement during a full Committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration.”
“Mr. Chairman, after countless calls for hearings, warnings, and questions from Committee Democrats, I am glad this day has finally come.
Secretary Turner, we had a good meeting in my office, and we spoke about a lot of things. You told us you were taking inventory at HUD so it could better achieve its goals. I told you I was going to work with my staff and take a look at the inventory you have taken. Well, this inventory that you have taken as HUD Secretary, I found that it was completely inadequate.
Homelessness is surging and high housing prices are locking millions out of homeownership. Instead of meeting the national housing crisis with urgency, or competence, it seems that you have made this crisis even worse, and even Trump knows it.
Now, from day one, you have worked from the inside to weaken HUD and America’s housing supply. And I don’t know, and hopefully through the questioning we will find out whether or not it was you or Elon Musk or what was going on that you fired so many employees.
Immediately after taking office, you halted fair housing and civil rights investigations, making discrimination in housing as acceptable as it was in the 1940’s.
Next, I’m really, really surprised, you shuttered regional and field offices, stripping families of the support they need to stay or get housed.
It looks as if, and I came over, if you can recall, I came over, in a little protest action, and tried to get in touch with you, but didn’t realize it was as bad as it is.
You terminated more than 780 HUD employees, including public servants whose expertise is essential to administering housing programs, enforcing civil rights laws, and preventing homelessness.
As a matter of fact, it has been described to me that HUD is only a shadow of what it should be. Let me be clear: forcing hundreds of public servants out the door does not make HUD more efficient. It makes the agency weaker — and does nothing to make housing affordable.
Well, as I have talked with my staff and the work that we have done and they have done, you went on to roll back the Equal Access Rule, tearing down long-standing protections against discrimination for women, children, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Last week, I’m told, you proposed a rule that would make it more difficult for victims and housing providers to enforce their rights under the law.
And, you also attempted to slash critical homeless funding and undermine proven programs like Housing First. Experts warn this will push more than 170,000 vulnerable Americans back onto the streets. Thankfully, the courts forced you to retract that proposal.
Secretary Turner, for the past year, we have watched you push ideologically driven housing policies while Trump dismisses the affordability crisis he created as a ‘hoax,’ a ’scam,’ and a ‘con job.’
The only con job I see is that this President and his cronies are trying to convince Americans that he cares about affordability more than he cares about winning in November.
Now, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the bipartisan work this Committee has done on housing, particularly passing the Housing for the 21st Century Act. But we need strong, pro-housing leadership at HUD to truly end this crisis. And Secretary Turner, and I don’t know if you understood what this job was all about, but I’m wondering, especially as you propose to cut HUD’s budget by half.
The gentlewoman has to yield back, but we have more questions. Thank you very much.”
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