Quote:Changes at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have left Democrats in a panic.

The agency is planning on laying off 50% of its workforce after DOGE identified $260 million in wasteful contracts.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and others were so upset about the concept of not wasting American tax dollars, they recently tried to storm the HUD building to deliver a letter demanding answers from HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

Today, Secretary Turner announced the agency will terminate the Biden-era 2021 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. The move will cut costly red tape imposed on localities and return “decision-making power to local and state governments.”

HUD describes the Biden-era AFFH rule as, in effect, a “zoning tax,” which “fueled an increase in the cost and a decrease in the supply of affordable housing due to restrictions on local land.”

Secretary Turner shared, “Local and state governments understand the needs of their communities much better than bureaucrats in Washington D.C. Terminating this rule restores trust in local communities and property owners, while protecting America’s suburbs and neighborhood integrity.”

“By terminating the AFFH rule, localities will no longer be required to complete onerous paperwork and drain their budgets to comply with the extreme and restrictive demands made up by the federal government.”

“This action also returns decisions on zoning, home building, transportation, and more to local leaders.”

“As HUD returns to the original understanding and enforcement of the law without onerous compliance requirements, we can better serve rural, urban and tribal communities that need access to fair and affordable housing.”

“We are aware of communities that have been neglected or negatively impacted due to the demands of recent AFFH rules. Returning to the law as written will advance market-driven development and allow American neighborhoods to flourish.”

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) was passed as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.

Additionally, it requires federal agencies and recipients of federal housing funds to affirmatively further fair housing.

The AFFH rule was introduced in 2015 during the Obama administration. It expanded the federal government’s role in local zoning decisions by increasing the certification process. Further, it mandated the completion of complex jurisdictional and regional analysis, the submission of a 92-question grading tool, and the analysis of impediments.

President Trump terminated the 2015 AFFH rule during his first term, but Biden revived it in 2021.

“With Secretary Turner’s action, a locality’s certification that it has affirmatively furthered fair housing, in accordance with the Fair Housing Act, would be deemed sufficient.”