Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, along with Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), calling for an investigation into cuts to fair housing enforcement at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

 “Despite HUD’s key role in enforcing the Fair Housing Act, however, the Trump administration has taken steps to reduce the agency’s ability to fulfill this key function,” they wrote. “Specifically, the administration reportedly plans to terminate nearly 80 percent of FHEO (HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity) staff, has terminated key Fair Housing Act enforcement grants, and reversed or halted enforcement of key HUD rules, including the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule and the Equal Access Rule.

“Furthermore, according to public reports, HUD Secretary Scott Turner allowed DOGE employees to access ‘some of the most critical and sensitive systems inside HUD,’ potentially including reports of discrimination, personally identifiable information, and information about people who have experienced domestic violence.”

Specifically, the senators asked the GAO to look into:

• DOGE actions that affect HUD’s leadership, management, and operations related to fair housing.
• The impact of staffing cuts at HUD on FHEO and the investigation and enforcement of housing discrimination complaints.
• The status of HUD’s Fair Housing Assistance Program and Fair Housing Initiatives Program, including the impact of changes to HUD’s grant agreements with funded organizations.
• The impact of DOGE actions on HUD’s efforts to implement the Violence Against Women Act.