The Potential Costs of the Trump Administration's Proposed Cuts to HUD Funding

Housing advocates blame the neglect of the federal government on the state of public housing in the United States. The Trump administration says government can't keep throwing money at the problems of public housing.

1 minute read

May 17, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Public Housing

Jason Eppink / flickr

Pam Fessler continues NPR's coverage of the Trump administration's funding of public housing, especially with the fund that pays for repairs to aging public housing facilities around the country.

Public housing officials estimate that it would cost $50 billion to fix living for the 2 million Americans currently living in public housing. "Part of the problem stems from a steady decline in public housing repair funding over the past decade. About $2 billion to $3 billion has been appropriated in recent years, half the amount approved in 2000. At the same time, the needs have grown at a more rapid rate, creating a massive backlog," according to Fessler.

According to previous coverage by Fessler from April 2019 (and Planetizen coverage from March 2019), the Trump administration's draft budget for 2020 proposing cuts to public housing repair funding in addition to eliminating the HOME program and Community Development Block Grants.

Fessler's current coverage reports on the Trump administration's support of the cuts, as explained in recent statement by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson to a House appropriations subcommittee, but the bulk of the article is devoted to describing living conditions in public housing units around the country.

Thursday, May 16, 2019 in NPR

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.