Senator Murray Slams HUD Secretary Turner on Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Attacks on Affordable Housing & Homelessness Prevention
Trump budget proposes halving HUD’s budget as key staff are let go in droves & funds signed into law are illegally frozen
ICYMI: In Everett, Murray Holds Roundtable on Trump Putting $16.7 Million for Snohomish County Homelessness Prevention at Risk, Hears from Affected Organizations—Vows to Fight Housing Budget Cuts
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with Secretary Turner***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner at a Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for HUD and its sweeping staff losses and funding freezes that are already hurting communities across the country. Senator Murray pressed Secretary Turner on the Trump administration’s unprecedented and illegal freezing of funding for critical HUD programs and attacks on the Continuum of Care program that is vital to homelessness prevention in Snohomish County, King County, Pierce County, and other areas across Washington state. Murray also questioned Secretary Turner about the Trump administration blocking funding provided for HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and his refusal to answer basic Congressional oversight questions on this program.
In her opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:
“The entire point of your Department is to help Americans keep a roof over their head. I am really afraid pretty much everything that you and President Trump have done to date appears kind of in direct opposition to that goal.
“First off, the President’s illegal funding freezes are causing chaos across the country. I was in Everett, in my home state of Washington, a few weeks ago, I was talking to organizations that help people find housing. And if they can’t get their already-awarded funding, they will be forced to start evicting people this summer and may even have to shut down their services altogether.
“And on top of that, you’re pushing out 2,300 staff—who are dedicated public servants with decades of experience. I just don’t see how you can tell us with a straight face that forcing out over a quarter of your workforce is going to have no effect on your Department’s ability to meet its statutory responsibilities under law.
“And now, after all the damage that’s been done, you are here today requesting that Congress slash funding for your Department nearly in half! Nearly in half! That would force millions of Americans out of their homes.
“Your request would force states to make up for your draconian cuts and abdication of responsibility. I don’t know what state can afford to do that, especially when this administration is simultaneously working to shift even more costs to states for things like SNAP and health care.
“It is kind of absurd to claim that we cannot afford basic programs that keep people off the streets, but we can hand trillions of dollars in new tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations.
“Housing affordability and homelessness is a crisis in Washington state and in many places across the country, you know that—but this administration just appears to me to be trying to make it all worse.
“And I’ll tell you right now: looking at your budget request, as far as I'm concerned as Vice Chair of this committee, it’s not going anywhere.”
[ILLEGAL FUNDING FREEZES]
Senator Murray began her questioning by asking about the administration’s illegal funding freezes and attacks on critical housing and homeless prevention programs, including the Continuum of Care program: “I want to start with the funding that you are illegally freezing. The Continuum of Care program is essential to addressing homelessness in my home state of Washington. In March, HUD began issuing grant agreements with a host of new conditions that are deeply concerning and completely unrelated to HUD’s mission. HUD did that without notice, and without any explanation of what the vaguely worded conditions mean or what a grantee would be required to do. As I said earlier, organizations I have talked to in my state say that without these funds, they are going to evict people this summer. The courts, as you know, are sorting this out, I’m glad to see they’ve extended the preliminary injunction to stop HUD from enforcing these new and extreme requirements. Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you, are you going to, and I quote from the court order, ‘take every step necessary to effectuate this order, including clearing any administrative, operational, or technical hurdles to implementation’?”
Secretary Turner replied, “As you have said this is under active litigation. And so we will leave it there. Once this is through litigation, I look forward to having a conversation, but right now I won’t comment on it.”
“Not even to tell us if you’re following the court order?” pressed Senator Murray.
Secretary Turner said, “I will follow the law—”
Senator Murray reiterated her question, “Are you following the court order?”
“Our team follows the law and the court order,” answered Secretary Turner.
“Are you in full compliance with the court order?” followed up Senator Murray.
“I’m not going to speak any more on it because it’s under active litigation,” said Secretary Turner, avoiding the question.
Senator Murray continued to try and get clarification on where the funds stood with HUD, “Let me just follow up on this. When will you be in full compliance with the court order? Are funds being withheld today?”
“We will be with you as soon as we can, once it’s done with active litigation,” Secretary Turner yet again dodged.
“Are funds being withheld right now even though the court order is in place?” Senator Murray asked again.
Secretary Turner tried to change the topic, “You know you talked about the 2,300 people—”
“I just want you to know that I am talking about this Continuum of Care because I am hearing from providers in my state that funds are being withheld, meaning you are not in compliance. Are you aware of that?” Senator Murray further specified.
Secretary Turner repeated his same talking point, “I am aware of the litigation. It’s in active litigation.”
Senator Murray further explained to Secretary Turner that he was in violation of the court order and that is why she was asking, “I am hearing funds are still being withheld despite the court order. I need to know if you know that and if you're going to make sure the funds are released.”
“I’m the Secretary, so things that go on at HUD I’m well aware of. But I also know with this active litigation, that I am not going to say very much in our hearing today but happy to talk to you as time goes on as I'm able to. I’ll commit to that,” said Secretary Turner.
Senator Murray made it clear, “Well, we are running out of time. They are going to start evicting people and they need those funds.”
Secretary Turner again tried to change the subject, “Just to clarify, the 2,300 people that left HUD, it was voluntary, they were not forced out.”
Senator Murray said, “I know, I have been hearing that from every secretary that comes before us.”
Secretary Turner interjected, “This is just me from HUD, and I’m just telling you it was 2,300 that took the DRP—”
“2,300 that were told if you don’t get out now you will be sorry in the future, so it is people that we need there,” Senator Murray pushed back.
Senator Murray then pressed Secretary Turner on the funding held up for the Green and Resilient Retrofit program: “Let me move on to another example. Your Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, that was created to help make properties more resilient to disasters and less expensive to heat and cool. On day one, you and the President deemed this commonsense program ‘woke’ somehow and have illegally attempted to terminate it. The courts have now directed HUD to process and disburse those funds, but I want you know that we are hearing from owners that HUD is doing nothing to restore the administrative contract that DOGE cancelled—which is holding up this deal from moving forward. This Committee has now asked five times for HUD to brief my staff on this, yet they’ve refused to speak to us about basic legal requirements. So let me just ask you here today, why are you preventing HUD-assisted property owners from making often overdue upgrades to low-income and senior housing?”
Secretary Turner again avoided the question he was capable of answering, “This also is under active litigation, as you know. And so, my comments on this will be zero to limited. It’s under active litigation, as soon as we get done with that I’m happy to speak with you.”
“Well, there are people waiting. And this fund [is] critical and there are court orders, and I expect them to be followed. And I am just going to say for the record, there’s nothing objectionable about this funding. It is stunning to me that we are under a court order, and you’re not giving the money out. It’s for things like replacing windows and outdated HVAC systems, and installing fire-resistant roofs. These are things badly needed for people in this country,” concluded Senator Murray.
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President Trump’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 would slash funding for HUD by almost 50 percent—a staggering cut that would decimate the HUD housing assistance programs, kicking families out of their homes and making millions of Americans vulnerable to homelessness. Trump’s budget proposes to convert all rental assistance programs into a formula-based “State Rental Assistance Block Grant” and reduce total funding by $26.7 billion, or a 42 percent cut. His budget also proposes to consolidate the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program with the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program within the formula-based Emergency Solutions Grant and to time-limit assistance to two years, all while reducing overall funding by $532 million, or 12 percent. In addition, President Trump’s budget proposes to eliminate or reduce nearly all HUD programs, including eliminating major formula programs communities rely upon to develop new affordable housing and for community development activities. On May 29th, Senator Murray held a roundtable in Everett to hear from local housing and homelessness prevention organizations affected by the Trump administration’s senseless decision to jeopardize CoC grant funding by placing new, potentially unlawful conditions on the grant funding.
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