Daily Yonder: HUD Rural Housing Programs Under Fire As Feds Fire Staff

 From The Daily Yonder ("Keep It Rural")

Trump Purges Staff 

Rural Housing Program 

February 20, 2025 – Staff of the USDA’s Rural Development and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs faced President Trump’s federal purge on Thursday. The Rural Development Office and its urban counterpart, HUD, have been financing infrastructure and housing across the nation for decades. These programs primarily benefit low-income families.

At least 550 staff at the Rural Development program and half of HUD’s staff will be discharged, according to a newsletter report from the Housing Assistance Council(HAC), a nonprofit advocacy organization.

‘“The affordable housing crisis in rural America requires more capacity and attention, not less,” said David Lipsetz, president and CEO of HAC in a statement released on Thursday morning. “We cannot afford this kind of disruption to programs that rural communities depend on.”