Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), hosted a spotlight forum with HUD whistleblowers on the Trump administration’s failure to enforce fair housing and civil rights laws.
Go Deeper: Senator Warren invited Secretary Turner to this unofficial committee hearing after reporting the Republican Chairs would not schedule a hearing in the House or Senate to discuss whistleblower complaints.
What Took Place: During the hearing (streamed on YouTube), witnesses Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan, who were fired after raising concerns about HUD’s practices, offered firsthand accounts of their experiences. Heenan likened the situation at HUD to calling 911 and reaching a police force operating at half capacity, with leadership citing “optics” concerns in deciding whether to respond, and so few prosecutors remaining that even acknowledged cases could sit unresolved for years. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) asked witnesses questions. Senator Cory Booker shared his own personal story of housing discrimination his family experienced while buying a home. No Republicans attended the forum.
