Congressman Al Green, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman Lead Effort Demanding HUD Protect Fair Housing Program

(Washington, D.C.) — On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Congressman Al Green, along with Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, raising serious concerns about recent actions that threaten the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and the local fair housing organizations that serve communities across the nation. A copy of the letter can be accessed by clicking here.

The lawmakers expressed concern that HUD’s proposed funding changes threaten local fair housing organizations, which handle more than 74 percent of housing discrimination complaints nationwide. Following a federal district court order blocking the changes, the lawmakers are calling on Secretary Turner to comply with the court’s order, rescind HUD’s FY 2025 and FY 2026 FHIP funding notices, and ensure nonprofit fair housing organizations remain eligible for funding.

"The Fair Housing Initiatives Program was created by Congress to protect Americans from housing discrimination and ensure that vulnerable communities have access to safe, stable, and equitable housing. The Administration’s repeated attempts to circumvent Congress and dismantle basic civil rights protections are unacceptable," said Congresswoman Lateefah Simon. "I am proud to help lead this effort alongside Congressman Al Green and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman to hold this administration accountable for its unlawful implementation of this program and to stand firmly with the organizations and nonprofits doing the essential, on-the-ground work to combat housing discrimination in communities across the country."

“From day one, the Trump administration has tried to reshape HUD from an agency that makes housing fairer and more accessible into one that benefits wealthy developers and landlords,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. “Housing costs are skyrocketing, yet HUD is being weaponized to go after municipalities, siphon funding from non-profit organizations seeking to give people opportunities to put a roof over their heads, and gift Trump’s friends instead. Considering Trump's history of housing discrimination as a developer and his eventual refusal to sign the largest bipartisan housing bill in a generation into law, an overarching theme of disregarding the needs of the working-class comes into focus."

Congressman Al Green stated, “I thank Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman for joining me in co-leading this important effort to protect fair housing. Discrimination does not disappear simply because we stop enforcing the laws designed to confront it. Fair housing protections exist because people have been denied homes and opportunities because of their race, disability, family status, and other forms of unlawful discrimination. We cannot allow those protections to be quietly dismantled. HUD must follow the law, comply with the court, and uphold its obligation to protect the people it was created to serve.”