Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump indicated during a meeting with Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino on June 7 that, if elected, he would rescind HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. The AFFH rule has faced repeated attacks – most recently when the Senate debated the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) spending bill – with opponents claiming the rule tramples on local decision-making in community planning.
After the discussion with Mr. Trump, Mr. Astorino spoke with the media and said: “[Mr. Trump] is aware of [the AFFH rule] and he understands it and he absolutely opposes what the Obama administration is trying to do and what Hillary would perpetuate. It’s urbanizing the suburbs and it’s taking away the rights of local communities through their own elected officials to determine how their community is made up. And that’s exactly what the Obama administration is doing through the powers of the federal government. It would not continue under the [Trump] administration.”
Contrary to such claims, the AFFH rule affirms that states and localities control the development and implementation of solutions for removing barriers to housing opportunity. The rule is designed to provide state and local governments with the guidance and tools they need to better address such barriers and to help ensure federal funds are more fairly and effectively invested in communities across America.
Westchester County has been litigating in court with HUD and the Department of Justice regarding a 2009 fair housing settlement that the agencies say the county has violated.
An NLIHC summary of the AFFH rule is at: http://bit.ly/1UpLIBO