MAYOR ED GAINEY AND REPRESENTATIVE SUMMER LEE STAND AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ATTACKS ON HUD, DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT FOR WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Local Leaders Condemn Trump and HUD Secretary Turner’s Efforts to Gut Housing Oversight, Close Pittsburgh HUD Field Office, and Cut Vital Funding
Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Mayor Ed Gainey and Representative Summer Lee were joined by housing advocates to demand clarity and accountability from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), amid threats from the Trump Administration to slash funding, dismantle local housing oversight, strip essential protections for vulnerable tenants, and close the Pittsburgh HUD Field Office, which provides critical support to our region. The event called for HUD leadership to reverse course to preserve HUD’s ability to serve Western Pennsylvania.
“These cuts will harm our people. These cuts will gut assistance to millions of low-income residents who need help with housing nationwide. There will be fewer federal workers to help run critical HUD programs, programs that provide us with rental subsidies, help us with disaster recovery efforts, launch housing discrimination investigations, and assist first-time homebuyers,” said Mayor Gainey.
Potentially Devastating Consequences for the People of Western Pennsylvania
If these proposed changes come to pass, they would have devastating consequences for the region. The Pittsburgh Field Office oversees 34 housing authorities across 29 counties in Western Pennsylvania. Representative Summer Lee highlighted that the Pittsburgh Field Office’s closure would mean that offices in Philadelphia and Baltimore, also under threat of unnecessary staffing cuts, would become responsible for serving our region, something they would not be able to do with the same level of care and efficiency.
“Housing is a human right, plain and simple. Right now, we are in the fight for our lives to protect that right and keep HUD’s Pittsburgh Field Office open. Thank you to our advocates and local leaders like Mayor Ed Gainey for their continued support of safe and affordable housing. Every person in the City of Pittsburgh and in Western Pennsylvania deserves to have a stable home in the communities that we know and love,” said Congresswoman Summer Lee.
HUD has proposed eliminating 4,000 agency jobs nationwide and cutting $1 billion in funding for affordable housing maintenance. These cuts aren’t about efficiency—they are about dismantling protections that keep working families housed. If carried through, these actions would put residents at risk of fair housing violations, widen the oversight gap, and halt efforts to improve the livability of federally assisted homes.
“Without federal enforcement, housing will become even more unstable for renters and homeowners, weakening federal oversight… [a] policy choice… that hands power to corporate landlords, looking for profit from displacement and not replacement of units for our people,” said Mayor Gainey.
It’s Not Too Late to Stop the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Housing
Today it was made clear that the fight for housing justice continues and needs broad support. Federal investment makes a tremendous difference in state and local governments’ ability to stabilize neighborhoods, build affordable housing, and hold property owners and landlords accountable. The Trump Administration and HUD Secretary Turner should be protecting and expanding housing resources, not gutting them.
Mayor Gainey emphasized the need for Pittsburghers to make their voices heard in opposition to these threats before the Trump Administration moves forward with these dangerous cuts:
“Streamlining government means improving services, not gutting them. We must hold the federal government accountable and work with Congresswoman Lee to ensure there is not a rollback, but a rollover to make sure that friends and families are okay. This is a call to action. We, the people, have to stand up to the powers that be. We do have the power of the people. Speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. Everyone in the city should say 'hell no' to these cuts. If we band together, we can prioritize people over power. Let’s fight the fight and go get it,” said Mayor Gainey.
We are working to Keep Pittsburgh Home
While the White House moves to gut housing programs, the Gainey Administration is responding to local housing needs. From new housing authority leadership and recently introduced anti-speculation measures to a rental registry and investments in homeownership assistance, real solutions are being implemented to make housing affordable and accessible to all Pittsburghers. Federal leadership should be a partner in these efforts, not an adversary.
“Housing is a human right, not a luxury. Right now, we are in the fight for our lives to protect that right. I want to thank Mayor Ed Gainey. He has been a staunch supporter of housing, to ensure that every person in the city of Pittsburgh has a home, has a home that is affordable, has a home that is appropriate, that is in the communities that we know and love” said Congresswoman Summer Lee.
As federal threats loom, the Gainey administration remains strong in its commitment to protecting tenant and homeowner's rights. Keep Pittsburgh Home is central to this commitment - through the campaign, the administration and community partners are fighting to ensure homes in Pittsburgh help people rather than generate profit. There are many local organizations contributing to this fight - from community-based affordable housing developers to resident services providers to legal aid attorneys. Local actions like Keep Pittsburgh Home are critical to ensuring safe, stable housing is available to all – but the weight of this mission cannot be borne by local community members alone.
“We will not let this happen in silence. Tenants deserve to know their rights are being stripped away… we will fight to make sure Pittsburgh remains a city where renters have power, and not just wealthy investors,” said community organizer Jala Rucker.
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