Starting on Day One of his administration, President Trump has undertaken a series of executive actions which, if implemented, would make it harder for our nation to ensure that everyone has access to an affordable, accessible place to call home.
President Trump came into office at a time when more renters than ever before, particularly those with the lowest incomes, are struggling with high housing costs. More than 10 million households with the lowest incomes are severely cost-burdened, paying more than half their limited income on rent. Despite the urgent need, three in four households eligible for housing assistance are unable to access assistance because of Congress’s failure to adequately fund vital affordable housing programs. Without affordable housing options, these families are always one financial shock away from facing evictions and in the worst cases homelessness. Another 770,000 people experience homelessness on any given night.
The Trump administration’s first actions in office, however, would worsen this crisis by:
- Undermining efforts to repair racial and social inequities in housing and homelessness. By directing federal agencies to terminate all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices and policies and rescind previous executive actions expanding DEI efforts to underserved communities, the Trump administration undermines efforts to address historic and ongoing systemic racism, ensure a diverse federal workforce, and enforce fair housing and civil rights laws. Without this commitment, we cannot fully end our country’s housing crisis, which disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities.
- Weakening HUD’s ability to administer and oversee congressionally approved federal housing investments. HUD staff are deeply committed to the agency’s mission and have deep subject-matter expertise, but they are also under-resourced, understaffed, and overworked. An executive action instituting a hiring freeze will prevent HUD from hiring essential staff and slow down the agency’s ability to help states and communities address their most pressing housing needs.
- Putting marginalized people at greater risk of harassment, discrimination, housing instability, and homelessness. By denying fair housing and civil rights protections to LBGTQ individuals and directing HUD to rescind protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness and seeking shelter, this executive action could lead to more people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, putting lives at risk.
- Undermining state and local efforts to address housing and homelessness. In an executive order, President Trump directed federal agencies to prevent sanctuary jurisdictions, or jurisdictions that limit or deny cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, from receiving critical federal investments. If this executive order is used to deny states and localities access to federal housing, homelessness, and community development investments, it would undermine local governments’ ability to help families purchase a home, build more affordable rental housing, and prevent and address homelessness.
- Harming people at their moments of greatest need. The Trump administration rescinded guidelines that prohibit immigration enforcement from arresting undocumented people in “sensitive” areas. By allowing immigration law enforcement to target disaster relief centers and domestic violence and homeless shelters, the administration is cruelly denying immigrant families, including U.S. citizen children, safety and creating fear. This action will deter them from seeking critical assistance when they need help the most and leave them with no safe place to go.
The high cost of housing was a top election issue for voters in 2024, and voters have made clear that they want policymakers to advance real solutions. The policies put forward by the Trump administration this week do nothing to address the underlying causes of America's housing crisis and instead make it harder for states and communities to address these challenges.
NLIHC will continue to monitor and oppose any effort that would make it harder to end America’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis.