N※N

Trump Administration Threatens Housing for Millions in "War on the Poor"

  //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2025/09/2 .. ens-housing-for-millions-in-war-on-the-poor.html
  Published in House and Home on Monday, September 22nd 2025 at 18:34 GMT by Truthout
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

The Trump Administration’s Housing Policies: A War on the Poor

In a stark exposé for Truthout, an article titled “Trump Administration Threatens Housing for Millions in a War on the Poor” lays out how the policies enacted during Donald J. Trump’s presidency have systematically dismantled the safety net for low‑income renters and homeless families across the United States. The piece argues that these actions are not merely administrative adjustments but a deliberate assault on the nation’s most vulnerable communities—effectively a “war on the poor.” The article is structured around a series of policy changes, the political motivations behind them, and the devastating consequences for millions of Americans who depend on federal housing programs.

1. The End of the Eviction Moratorium and the Loss of Shelter Safety Nets

The Trump administration began its assault on affordable housing with the dismantling of the COVID‑19 eviction moratorium instituted by the Biden administration and mandated under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). While the moratorium was initially designed to prevent a surge in homelessness during the pandemic, the Trump‑era HUD officials, led by Secretary Ben Carson, argued that it was a “temporary relief” that had become a permanent fixture. By withdrawing the moratorium and allowing landlords to evict tenants without proof of debt, the administration unleashed a wave of foreclosures that left millions without a roof. The Truthout article points out that this policy was not only economically detrimental but also contravened longstanding federal housing regulations that require a fair notice and a legitimate cause for eviction.

2. Funding Cuts to Public Housing and the Section 8 Voucher System

Perhaps the most striking move was the aggressive reduction in federal funding for public housing. During his 2018 budget proposals, President Trump proposed slashing public‑housing appropriations by up to 40 percent. The article explains that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was then forced to reallocate its remaining budget to “low‑cost, high‑impact” initiatives, effectively eroding the foundation of the public‑housing system. Public housing units, which serve more than 4 million residents, are heavily reliant on HUD subsidies; a 30‑percent cut would mean thousands of units could be lost or repurposed for higher‑income residents.

The Section 8 voucher program—an essential lifeline for thousands of low‑income renters—was similarly under threat. Trump’s administration introduced regulatory changes that required landlords to comply with a new “housing quality and safety” standard that many landlords found difficult to meet, resulting in a precipitous decline in voucher‑eligible units. According to the Truthout piece, the result was a net loss of roughly 2 million voucher spots in the first year of the administration’s policy roll‑out.

3. Disrupting Homelessness Prevention Programs

The Trump administration also targeted the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re‑Housing (HPRR) program, cutting its budget by half in the 2019 budget. The Truthout article documents how the program was originally designed to provide temporary rental assistance and job training to families on the brink of homelessness. With the funding cut, many local governments lost the ability to offer emergency rental vouchers, resulting in an uptick in open cases of homelessness in major cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The piece cites data from the HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which recorded a 12 percent increase in families experiencing homelessness between 2019 and 2020—a trend that the article attributes directly to the policy shift.

4. The Political Narrative: “No More Subsidies for the Poor”

Throughout the article, the author emphasizes the political rhetoric that accompanied these policy changes. Trump’s public statements consistently framed subsidies as a “welfare state” that “pays the poor for living.” This narrative, the article argues, is not just hyperbole; it has become a key justification for budget cuts and regulatory tightening. By painting public housing as a handout, the administration effectively shifted public perception, reducing the political will to protect the vulnerable. The article points out that the Trump administration’s “Housing First” rhetoric—asserting that housing should be a right, not a charity—was largely a smokescreen for the deeper aim of shrinking the federal role in social welfare.

5. Disproportionate Impact on Communities of Color

The article makes a compelling case that the housing crisis is racially patterned. Trump’s policies disproportionately harmed Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, which are already overrepresented in public housing and public‑housing voucher systems. Data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual reports, cited in the piece, show that between 2018 and 2020, the rate of evictions in predominantly Black neighborhoods outpaced that in white neighborhoods by more than 3 percent. The article also documents how the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the Fair Housing Act’s enforcement budget further entrenched systemic inequalities in housing discrimination.

6. The Wider Economic Toll

Beyond the immediate social consequences, the article argues that these policies hurt the broader economy. Housing is a cornerstone of consumer spending; when families cannot afford stable housing, they cut back on discretionary purchases, which in turn dampens local economies. The Truthout piece cites research that shows a 1 percent increase in public‑housing funding can increase local employment by as much as 0.2 percent. Cutting that funding, therefore, has a ripple effect that extends far beyond the walls of a housing complex.

7. A Call to Action

The article concludes with a call for bipartisan policy reform to reverse the damage done during the Trump years. It urges lawmakers to:

1. Re‑establish the eviction moratorium for low‑income renters and provide federal guarantees for landlord liability.
2. Restore public‑housing and Section 8 funding to pre‑Trump levels.
3. Re‑fund the HPRR program and expand it to cover more families on the brink of homelessness.
4. Increase HUD’s enforcement budget for the Fair Housing Act to curb discrimination.

The author also stresses that any future administration that wishes to claim to be “pro‑family” must recognize the fundamental role that stable housing plays in providing security, health, and opportunity for all Americans.

In Summary

The Truthout article presents a comprehensive narrative of how the Trump administration’s housing policies constituted a deliberate “war on the poor.” By cutting funding for public housing, eliminating the eviction moratorium, tightening regulations on the Section 8 voucher system, and reducing resources for homelessness prevention, the administration not only widened the housing crisis but also deepened racial disparities and weakened the economic stability of low‑income families. The piece calls on policymakers to reverse these harmful trends, arguing that protecting housing is a prerequisite for social justice and economic growth.