Trump administration ends Obama’s fair housing rule

The Trump administration on Thursday reversed an Obama administration rule aimed at fighting housing discrimination that President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump says he would feel comfortable sending his son and grandchildren to school in person. Cafeteria worker on White House grounds tests positive for COVID-19: Reports Republicans will begin revealing the coronavirus package Thursday MORE has quoted while portraying a suspected Democratic candidate Joe BidenJoe BidenGOP questions whether Trump will stick to the new coronavirus approach The Trump administration to give additional B to nursing homes Trump responds to Biden’s accusation of racism comparing himself to Lincoln MORE as a threat to suburban voters.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it would replace the Affirmatively Advanced Fair Housing rule implemented in 2015 with its own policy, called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.

“After reviewing thousands of comments on the proposed changes to the Affirmatively Fair Housing Promotion (AFFH) regulation, we found it unfeasible and, ultimately, a waste of time for localities to comply, which is often results in funds being diverted from the communities that need them the most, “HUD Secretary Ben carsonBenjamin (Ben) Solomon Carson Nocturnal Health Care: Fauci Says “Strange” Efforts To Discredit Him Only Hurt The White House | Alabama Will Require Facial Masks | House panel investigates ‘problematic’ government contracts Sunday shows progress: Coronavirus raises questions about school safety; Trump commutes Roger Stone’s ruling that Carson calls on local leaders to “condemn the vandalism of the statues”, “dismantle the autonomous zones” MORE he said in a statement.

Under the new rule, local officials have significantly more jurisdiction to determine what qualifies as fair housing and how to promote its accessibility.

To qualify as fair housing under the new rule, a development must be “affordable, safe, decent, free from unlawful discrimination, and accessible under civil rights laws,” according to HUD. Efforts to promote fair housing are redefined under the rule to include “any action rationally related to promoting any of the foregoing attributes of fair housing.”

Obama’s rule previously required localities to develop plans to address housing discrimination in order to receive certain federal funds. The Trump administration destroyed it more than two years ago, so it largely has no teeth.

“It is a dark day for the country when the president boasts of maintaining housing segregation, and the agency charged with enforcing the Fair Housing Act becomes a tool to help him do it,” said the senator. Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell Brown Senate panel previews Trump Fed candidate who recently endorsed the gold standard Desiree Tims beats former Republican Rep. Michael Turner by more than 0K in Q2 Senate Democrats’ requests for information on Russian reward transfers PLUS (D-Ohio), the highest-ranking member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said in a statement.

The action follows weeks of rhetoric by Trump warning of threats to the suburbs as he wooes those voters ahead of the November election. He specifically cited the Obama-era housing rule, arguing that he made zoning decisions out of the hands of local officials.

Trump tweeted on Thursday a column in the New York Post criticizing Biden’s housing platform.

“Suburban Housewives of America should read this article,” Trump tweeted. “Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American dream. I will preserve it and make it even better!”

Suburban Housewives of America should read this article. Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American dream. I will preserve it and make it even better! https://t.co/1NzbR57Oe6

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020

At a White House event earlier this month, Trump claimed that a Biden presidency “would totally destroy the beautiful suburbs. The suburbs will no longer be as we know them. Therefore, they wanted to eliminate and abolish their police and police while at the same time destroying our great suburbs. “

Critics have condemned Trump’s rhetoric for stoking racial spirits by suggesting that implementing fair housing standards that greatly benefit minorities would lead to the destruction of the suburbs.

Biden has pledged in his campaign’s housing plan to reinstate the Affirmative Promotion Fair Housing rule and provide tax incentives to build more affordable housing in suburban, urban and rural areas.

Suburban voters, and suburban women in particular, will be a critical voting bloc for Trump if he hopes to win reelection in November.

A CNN exit poll found that 49 percent of suburban voters endorsed Trump in the 2016 election, compared to 45 percent who supported the Democratic candidate Hillary clintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton NSA Reality Winner leak tests positive for coronavirus in Texas federal prison Trump campaign leans on Goya controversy in new ads in Spanish Biden leads Trump by 8 points, has a big advantage between undecided voters: MORE poll. But many of those same voters backed the Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms, helping the party take control of the House.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll released last week found Biden leading Trump among registered suburban voters, 52 percent to 43 percent.