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The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (“MCCR”) is pleased to join the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) in announcing that its crucial Fair Housing Assistance Program (“FHAP”) funding has been protected following a successful legal challenge against unlawful conditions attempted by the Trump administration. The relief, secured with the vital representation of Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a coalition of 16 other attorneys general, ensures MCCR can continue its mission to enforce state fair housing laws without federal interference.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), the FHAP provides essential funding to state and local agencies like MCCR that enforce fair housing protections.
“This victory sends a powerful message: civil rights cannot be conditioned on politics, ideology, or funding,” said MCCR Executive Director Cleveland L. Horton II. “Because of this leadership, MCCR can continue doing what Marylanders have entrusted us to do – stand in the gap, confront discrimination, and ensure that every person in our state has the opportunity to live with dignity, fairness, and equal protection under the law. We are deeply grateful to Attorney General Anthony Brown for his unwavering leadership and willingness to stand with MCCR in defending Maryland’s fair housing laws. We also thank the attorneys general from across the country who stood alongside Maryland in this fight, demonstrating that protecting civil rights requires collective courage and action.”
The legal battle began in March 2026, when the coalition, with the OAG representing MCCR and the interest of the State, filed a lawsuit challenging HUD’s FY 2025 FHAP Funding Guidance. The guidance threatened to cut MCCR’s funding specifically because Maryland’s robust fair housing laws protect more groups than federal law – including safeguards based on sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, military status, and marital status. The guidance also required MCCR to comply with vague and ideologically motivated conditions unrelated to fair housing enforcement and without legal justification.
The Trump administration has now conceded to the coalition’s legal challenge, agreeing to dismiss the lawsuit. HUD confirmed it will not seek to impose, implement, or enforce the challenged conditions in the future and that the FY 2025 Funding Guidance is no longer in effect. Furthermore, a letter from HUD confirms these restrictions will not apply to FY 2026 FHAP funding and will not be included in future guidance.
“Discrimination has no place in Maryland’s housing market, regardless of a person’s income, marital status, or whom they love,” said Attorney General Brown. “The Trump administration tried to force Maryland to abandon these protections or lose critical funding. My Office fought back against that unlawful attempt – and won.”
MCCR extends its gratitude to Attorney General Brown and the entire coalition that fought to protect Maryland's housing programs, which included the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
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