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When Secretary Scott Turner told Newsmax that HUD-funded housing exists to serve American citizens first, he was speaking plain truth for hardworking taxpayers who have been ignored for too long. For years Washington tolerated sloppy administration of housing dollars while families on waiting lists were left to struggle. Secretary Turner’s promise to prioritize Americans is a welcome course correction that puts citizens back at the center of federal housing policy.
This administration has moved from talk to action, signing an MOU with DHS and ordering reviews of public housing practices to make sure federal subsidies aren’t diverted to people who aren’t legally eligible. Local housing authorities have been put on notice to produce data and prove compliance, and HUD is making clear that those who won’t cooperate risk losing funds. That kind of accountability is long overdue in an agency that has too often rewarded lax oversight.
The urgency of these reforms isn’t hypothetical—HUD’s own reviews show billions in questionable rental assistance that may have gone to ineligible recipients, including deceased tenants and noncitizens. Those shocking findings prove that lax controls cost ordinary Americans, and they justify a full-court effort to root out fraud, waste, and abuse. Secretary Turner is right to press for audits and prosecutions where necessary to restore integrity to housing programs.
At the same time, Turner is watching the broader housing market and rightly points to falling mortgage rates and deregulatory moves as real levers to expand homeownership and refinancing opportunities for more Americans. Conservatives understand that lowering barriers, cutting red tape, and encouraging private-sector building—not endless taxpayer giveaways—are the way to make houses affordable again. If the administration can combine stricter program integrity with policies that unleash more supply, working families will finally get a fair shot at the American dream.
The evidence also shows HUD has been hamstrung by chronic failures to estimate and prevent improper payments, a problem the Inspector General has documented repeatedly. That is why tough leadership matters: you cannot protect taxpayers and the vulnerable unless the department has modern controls, clear accountability, and a culture that punishes fraud. Secretary Turner’s push to fix these systemic flaws should be backed by every elected official who claims to care about stewardship of public funds.
Americans deserve a HUD that defends their interests, not an agency that treats the border crisis and bureaucratic sloppiness as someone else’s problem. Secretary Turner was confirmed to the post and sworn in to carry out those duties, and his early actions show he means what he says about putting citizens first. It’s time Congress and the American people hold the line: taxpayer-funded housing is for Americans, and anyone who breaks the law or steals from the system must be held accountable.
