1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge congressional oversight of HUD’s proposed rule, Docket No. FR-6524-P-01, regarding verification of eligible status under Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. Section 214 already prohibits housing assistance for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. Current regulations comply with this requirement while allowing prorated assistance so that eligible household members can remain housed. The statute also includes provisions intended to prevent family separation and housing loss. The proposed rule would significantly change this framework by expanding documentation and verification requirements and limiting long-standing prorated assistance for mixed-status households. These changes raise concerns about statutory interpretation, administrative feasibility, and housing stability. Public housing authorities and housing providers would face increased compliance responsibilities without additional administrative funding. At the same time, displacement of currently housed households would increase pressure on eviction prevention programs, emergency shelter systems, and local homelessness response infrastructure. These impacts would shift costs from the federal housing system to state and local governments that are already struggling to meet housing and homelessness needs. I respectfully ask Congress to review this proposal and request detailed analysis from HUD regarding: • statutory basis for the rule • administrative cost impacts on PHAs and housing providers • expected effects on housing stability and displacement • impacts on local homelessness systems and public budgets Federal housing policy should promote stability, not increase avoidable displacement and downstream public cost. Thank you for your attention to this issue.