PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania lawmakers, leaders from the NAACP and housing advocates spoke out Monday against federal cuts to fair housing. Many of them, including state Sen. Vincent Hughes, say the cuts leave room for discrimination.
“Protections against discrimination in housing are under attack,” Hughes said. “Fair housing organizations in this region, around the Commonwealth, around the country, just witnessed a decimation of their funding to do the work that they do to educate and protect communities against discrimination.”
In February, the Trump administration began terminating grants to organizations that enforce the Fair Housing Act by taking complaints, investigating and litigating housing discrimination cases for Americans across the country.
In early March, the Trump administration stalled at least $60 million in funding intended largely for affordable housing developments nationwide, according to the Associated Press.
About a week later, the Associated Press reported the Trump administration halted a $1 billion program that helps preserve affordable housing, threatening projects that keep tens of thousands of units livable for low-income Americans.
Angela McIver, CEO of the Fair Housing Rights Center, says her organization was directly impacted.
“[Department of Education] called our work waste, but we call it great. DOGE is trying to break the morale and spirit of the fair housing movement, but we will not hear it,” Mclver said. “The DOGE termination notice directly makes our seniors, children, veterans, people facing violence in their homes, Black, brown, divorce, religious and disabled family, friends and neighbors vulnerable.”
Katherine Hicks, president of Philadelphia NAACP, says housing discrimination is illegal under the Landmark Fair Housing Act of 1968, but the law has no validity if advocates don't have the resources to enforce it.
“Fair housing is needed. We must not sit idly by as our fundamental rights of equality for all are being systematically removed,” Hicks said.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development says they ensure grantees are in compliance with the president’s executive orders and are required to take action if they are not. They added that they continue to serve the American people, including those facing housing discrimination or eviction.
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean says fair housing is a right worth fighting for.
“It's very hard in this region, and DOGE’s incompetence, incoherence, inhumanity must be turned away. People like Elon Musk and Donald Trump can afford to live in multi-million dollar houses. We must not despair, and we must continue to fight.”
Many affected housing organizations have since sued the Department of Housing and Urban Development and DOGE.