Two whistleblowers will testify in an unofficial housing discrimination hearing led by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The hearing will focus on allegations that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is not enforcing federal law to protect renters and buyers from discrimination.
HUD took steps to remove the whistleblowers, both civil rights attorneys in the agency’s fair housing division, in September after they signed their names to a report alleging that the Trump administration has failed to uphold its obligations under the law. One of the attorneys was terminated in September; the other was placed on administrative leave.
Warren, who is ranking member on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, asked Housing Secretary Scott Turner and others to appear at a spotlight forum on Tuesday, Jan. 13, to address the claims. HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Landlords sometimes think that they can make better profits if they won’t rent to families with children or if they charge more for a disabled veteran. That’s in violation of the law, and it’s HUD’s responsibility to enforce those laws,” Warren said in an interview. “When Trump fires the people who do that work, it means they have nowhere to turn when they’ve been discriminated against.”
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