Thu Feb 27 20:50:00 UTC 2025: **HUD Secretary Ends Fair Housing Rule, Reversing Biden Policy**
WASHINGTON (The Hill) – Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced Wednesday the termination of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, a key Obama-era policy aimed at combating housing segregation. The rule, initially rescinded by the Trump administration in 2020 and later reinstated by President Biden in 2021, has been a subject of intense political debate.
Secretary Turner argued that the AFFH rule imposed excessive bureaucratic burdens on local governments, citing “onerous paperwork” and budget strains. He stated that the repeal returns zoning, building, and transportation decisions to local control, eliminating the need for a 92-question assessment tool and related analyses previously mandated under the rule.
The decision effectively reverses former President Obama’s expansion of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits housing discrimination. While the Fair Housing Act itself remains in place, the AFFH rule, designed to ensure federal agencies and recipients of federal housing funds actively worked to overcome discriminatory housing patterns, is now defunct.
Turner contends that this change will foster affordability, business growth, and economic opportunity. This action follows last week’s announcement of a HUD task force focused on reducing agency spending. The move is certain to spark controversy, with critics arguing it undermines efforts to address historical housing inequalities.
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