Rep. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, has sent a letter to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Eugene Dodaro and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Acting Inspector General Stephen M. Begg calling for an investigation into whether HUD is violating statutory requirements to maintain at least one field office in each state.
In the letter to HUD and the GAO, Rep. Waters also requests the issuance of a public cost-benefit analysis before any closures, following reports that the Trump administration plans to shut down local field offices and terminate housing agency staff.
Rep. Waters expresses concerns that HUD Secretary Turner has failed to comply with laws designed to ensure the agency operates transparently and efficiently for the Americans it serves, including provisions under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965. Additionally, Rep. Waters highlights the crucial role that HUD field offices play in local communities–especially rural communities–who depend on federal housing programs to address local housing and community development needs.
“It has been reported that Secretary Scott Turner has taken unilateral action to significantly downsize HUD’s field operations, with plans to close nearly two-thirds of field offices across the country. I am concerned about what effects this will have on families and communities across the country who rely on HUD for housing assistance, community and economic development projects, as well as enforcement of federal fair housing and civil rights laws,” wrote Rep. Waters in the letter. “Employees across approximately 54 field offices have localized expertise and work in communities to carry out face-to-face technical assistance, provide timely guidance to local grantees and officials to help speed up project timelines, and manage oversight and enforcement of federal statutes in each region … The Trump Administration’s proposal to close 34 field offices would severely disrupt federal housing programs, stall local development projects, and threaten the jobs of approximately 360 full-time employees.”
Rep. Waters concluded the letter by requesting that GAO and the HUD OIG investigate several key issues, including whether the agency is in compliance with statutory requirements; what protocol HUD followed and what factors were considered prior to taking any actions to scale back or close HUD field offices; and what the repercussions of these actions will have on agency operations and HUD’s core mission of ensuring safe, fair, and affordable housing for all.
As the Trump administration slashes jobs and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to reduce federal costs, Freddie Mac CEO Diana Reid, Head of Human Resources Dionne Wallace Oakley, and EVP of Corporate Strategy and External Affairs Craig Phillips were recently let go, as well as Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) COO Gina Cross, FHFA Human Resources Director Monica Matthews, and FHFA’s Office of Congressional Affairs and Communications Antonio White were placed on leave.
In addition to Rep. Waters’ letter, Rep. Summer Lee recently led members of a Pennsylvania delegation, local elected officials and leaders, and advocates in calling on HUD to keep the Pittsburgh Field Office open. At a press conference, Rep. Lee unveiled a letter written to HUD Secretary Scott Turner outlining strong opposition to proposals to close the Pittsburgh Field Office, including all other offices in 33 states.
Rep. Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
“For months, my office has been in close contact with the Pittsburgh Field Office to address life-threatening conditions in federally assisted properties in PA-12. Countless families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities in my district and beyond rely on HUD to ensure they have safe, healthy, and habitable housing. Closing this office would be nothing short of devastating,” said Rep. Lee. “This administration claims to care about working families and people but closing this office, slashing the federal workforce, and maintaining a hiring freeze would be detrimental for tenants and housing authorities alike. Systemic failures require oversight; HUD must keep its Field Offices open to address them.”
Additional opposition to HUD office closures was also reported in the Pacific Northwest, as a coalition of congressional reps from the Pacific Northwest issued a letter on proposed HUD Field Office closures in Portland and Seattle.
In a letter to HUD Secretary Turner, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and eight other Democratic lawmakers expressed “deep concern” about the possible closures, claiming that they will deprive local federal housing assistance to constituents in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
“We know how devastating it can be when services are moved out of state and implore you to keep the Seattle regional office and Portland field office open,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Pacific Northwest is already experiencing a significant housing shortage. The closure of these regional and field offices would significantly hinder the ability of state agencies, public housing authorities, community-based organizations, and private developers and landlords to develop new housing and address this housing crisis.”
Should HUD close its Pacific Northwest Field Offices, the next closest HUD office would be in San Francisco, which is located more than 650 miles from Portland, and 850 miles from Seattle.
