#SafetyNet cuts: #Trump proposed slashing some federal safety net programs, confirming early #budget documents reviewed last week by NYT. Those recommended cuts include trimming more than $26 billion in federal #RentalAssistance.

#law #TrumpCoup #USpol
[Will boost post w/ NYT #GiftArticle]

…The White House also plans to dismantle a key office in the #housing agency that helps communities recover from deadly #NaturalDisasters, a move that could slow much-needed #emergency #aid. Separately, #Trump issued an #ExecutiveOrder last month eliminating a decades-old, government wide commission meant to coordinate the federal response to #homelessness.

…The expected cuts to #RentalAssistance reflect #Trump’s broader desire to *shrink the footprint of government & its reach into Americans’ lives* [more like kill the #poor, party with the #rich, eradicate the middle], a project that includes sharp #cuts to federal #antipoverty programs viewed as *too generous or wasteful*.

#Project2025’s #RussVought, #Trump’s director of the Office of Management & Budget [#OMB], previously endorsed an end to the federal #voucher program. He [falsely] wrote in 2022 that the #Section8 program in particular “brings with it crime, decreased property values, & results in dependency & subsidized irresponsibility.”

Federal #voucher programs currently provide assistance to ~2.3M #LowIncome #families, acc/to the govt’s estimates, who enroll through their local public-#housing authorities. The #aid is part of a broader universe of #RentalAssistance programs that are set to exceed $54B this fiscal year. But the annual demand for these subsidies is far greater than available funds, creating a sizable wait list as rents are rising nationally.

…the expected overhaul would most likely amount to more than just a technical change, resulting in fewer federal dollars for #LowIncome #families on top of additional cuts planned for the rest of the Dept of #Housing & Urban Development [#HUD]. On Thurs, the #Trump admin took the first steps toward potentially selling the agency’s HQ in Washington.

Admin ofcls recently discussed cutting or canceling out the #vouchers & other #RentalAssistance programs & potentially replacing them with a more *limited* system of #housing grants, perhaps sent to states, acc/to 3 people familiar with the matter…. The overhaul would be included in #Trump’s new #budget, which is expected to be sent to #Congress in the coming weeks.

The potential changes primarily concern federal #housing #vouchers, including those more commonly known as #Section8. The aid generally helps the poorest tenants cover the monthly costs of apartments, town homes & single-family residences.