Overview
- Scott Turner faced sharp questioning in a Thursday Senate Appropriations hearing after he deflected to the Biden years, prompting Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to yell, “Stop talking about Biden.”
- HUD has not released its Point-in-Time count for more than a year, and Turner blamed last year’s shutdown and ongoing lawsuits for the delay.
- Trump’s fiscal 2027 request would cut HUD by about $10.7 billion, drawing warnings from both parties that homelessness would worsen.
- Advocates said eliminating or shrinking long-term housing programs like the Continuum of Care could put up to 170,000 people at risk of losing housing.
- A federal judge blocked HUD’s recent rule changes in March, and local groups reported delayed funds that are forcing nonprofits to scale back services, including Houston’s homelessness network and Texas fair-housing organizations.