WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and more than 100 Democratic colleagues in the Senate and the House in sending a letter to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, condemning staffing cuts and potential closures. In the letter, the lawmakers pushed Secretary Turner to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who were illegally fired from the Department and condemned reports that HUD is considering the illegal closure of nearly two-thirds of field offices nationwide.
Field offices provide critical housing services, and staffing reductions at this scale will cripple HUD’s ability to perform its basic responsibilities and legal obligations. HUD only recently rebuilt its workforce after a 20 percent drop between 2012 and 2019, and further cuts threaten disaster recovery efforts while delaying urgently needed housing development.
“We write to express concern about reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering closing nearly two-thirds of the Department’s field offices, leaving most states and the District of Columbia without critical sites or staff,” wrote the lawmakers. “These reports follow the unlawful mass termination of probationary federal employees, HUD’s announcement that employees at GS-13 and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management would be terminated, and reports that the Department plans to cut its agency-wide workforce by at least half.”
“We strongly urge HUD to maintain existing field offices with adequate staffing levels and to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who have been illegally terminated,” continued the lawmakers.
By law, HUD is required to have at least one field office in every state to process mortgage insurance applications, yet the Trump Administration’s plan would leave 34 states without a field office. Additionally, HUD must conduct and publish a cost-benefit analysis before implementing any “plan for the reorganization of any regional, area, insuring, or other field offices of the Department.”
In addition to Senators Hirono and Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Secretary Turner:
We write to express concern about reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering closing nearly two-thirds of the Department’s field offices, leaving most states and the District of Columbia without critical sites or staff. These reports follow the unlawful mass termination of probationary federal employees, HUD’s announcement that employees at GS-13 and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management would be terminated, and reports that the Department plans to cut its agency-wide workforce by at least half. We urge you to immediately reverse any plans to implement these short-sighted and illegal efforts that undermine the ability of HUD to accomplish its mission and legal obligations.
The United States faces a severe fair and affordable housing and homelessness crisis. HUD is the Federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, improve and develop communities, and enforce fair housing laws, deeply impacting millions of families across the nation. HUD field offices collect local data to inform policymaking, administer and oversee department programs, manage and distribute funding, enforce department regulations and policies, provide guidance and support to local stakeholders, and play a critical role in developing and maintaining local relationships that ensure the success of initiatives and projects. In many cases, state and local stakeholders operate with limited capacities and require HUD assistance. HUD currently has at least one field office in every State and the District of Columbia to help implement the Department’s important mission at the local level.
Reports that HUD is planning the illegal closure of field offices are extremely concerning. HUD is expressly required by law to maintain a field office in every state. Federal law also requires HUD to conduct and publish a cost-benefit analysis before implementing any “plan for the reorganization of any regional, area, insuring, or other field office of the Department.” This analysis is required to include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the impact on the local economy, an estimate of the effect of reorganization on the availability, accessibility, and quality of services provided, and credible evidence substantiating the impact of reorganization on department costs. These legal requirements are designed to protect the Department and the nation, including taxpayers, HUD’s business, nonprofit, and government partners, thousands of patriotic civil servants, and millions of families who rely on the services that HUD field offices provide.
In last year’s report on top management challenges, the HUD Office of Inspector General noted that HUD “still faces capacity challenges that affect its ability to oversee grantees, contractors, and financial services counterparties; provide high-touch technical assistance; and modernize its programs and IT systems.” Despite this reality, a February 11, 2025, Executive Order directed agency heads, including HUD, to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIF).” A subsequent memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to agency heads directed each agency to submit Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans to OMB and OPM by Thursday, March 13, 2025.
We strongly urge HUD to maintain existing field offices with adequate staffing levels and to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who have been illegally terminated. We also ask for responses to the following information request no later than Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
We thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
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