Yesterday, HUD Secretary Scott Turner testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development on the administration’s FY 2026 HUD budget request.

In his remarks, Secretary Turner emphasized:

  • A “refocusing” of HUD priorities and the removal of waste, fraud, and abuse from the Biden administration.
  • That rental assistance is meant to be temporary, not permanent, likening it to a trampoline and treadway: “a military bridge, which is used temporarily to get over obstacles and then it is removed.”
  • Scaling back federal funding for rental assistance and shifting responsibility to states through block grants.
    • He highlighted funding in the budget for HUD staff to help states design their own programs—but not for the programs themselves.
    • When pressed by both Democrats and some Republicans for specifics, Secretary Turner repeatedly invoked his goal of giving states “more skin in the game,” but offered few concrete details.

Secretary Turner’s responses were frequently cut short as members reclaimed their time after sharply criticizing proposed cuts.

In his opening statement, Chair Steve Womack (R-AR) said, “I’m deeply concerned about the deep cuts the administration’s budget makes to HUD. These proposed cuts would radically affect HUD’s mission and operations. I’m interested in hearing how a $27.6 billion reduction to HUD’s rental assistance programs will help HUD serve our nation’s most vulnerable.”

Democrats also denounced the Trump administration’s broader efforts to dismantle fair housing enforcement and eliminate HUD programs that support housing development, construction, preservation, and services for seniors and people with disabilities.

Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) summed up the frustration, saying: “Zero programmatic information, zero details on the budget.”

What’s Next: Secretary Turner will testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee today on the same budget proposal.