Feb 27, 2025 Story by: Editor
The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked a Biden-era fair housing proposal that required local governments to identify and address segregation patterns in order to receive federal funding.
In 2023, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) introduced the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a revised version of an Obama-era policy that former President Donald Trump had scrapped in 2020. The rule aimed to combat housing discrimination. However, the Biden administration never finalized it, partly due to campaign concerns. Trump had previously criticized the rule during his 2020 campaign, claiming Democrats wanted to “abolish the suburbs.”
Had the 2021 rule been finalized, HUD would have had to undergo a lengthy formal process to revise or repeal it. Instead, the Biden administration withdrew the proposal in January through the Federal Register. On Wednesday, HUD replaced it with an interim final rule.
“Local and state governments understand the needs of their communities much better than bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement. “Terminating this rule restores trust in local communities and property owners while protecting America’s suburbs and neighborhood integrity.”
Moving forward, HUD will accept self-certifications from local governments, confirming they are in compliance with the 1968 Fair Housing Act without requiring additional federal oversight. “[L]ocalities 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,” Turner added. “This action also returns decisions on zoning, home building, transportation, and more to local leaders.”
The decision aligns with the Trump administration’s broader effort to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies.
Currently, 74% of white Americans own homes, compared to just 46% of Black Americans—a 28-point disparity that is actually wider than it was in 1960, when housing discrimination was still legal.
Source: Politico
