Trump’s HUD Secretary Ben Carson is proposing that the amount of rent paid by the most economically vulnerable Americans who receive housing assistance.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday will propose to increase the amount low-income households are expected to pay for rent as well as require those receiving housing subsidies to work, according to the administration’s legislative proposal obtained by The Washington Post.
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Currently, tenants generally pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward rent or the public housing agency minimum rent not to exceed $50. The administration’s legislative proposal sets the family monthly rent contribution at 35 percent of their gross income or 35 percent of their earnings by working 15 hours a week at the federal minimum wage — or approximately $150 a month, three times higher than the current minimum.
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The same Ben Carson who tried to spend $31,000 in taxpayer money on a dining set for his office, now wants to increase the rents of millions of the poorest Americans.
Trump cut taxes for the wealthy, so now millions of poor people will suffer
There are five million Americans who receive housing assistance. Of the people who receive assistance, 35% are elderly, 19% are disabled, and 29% are adults with children. The work requirement that the Trump administration is proposing is ridiculous because 75% of non-elderly, non-disabled households who receive housing assistance already work.
The tax cut for the wealthy and corporations needs to be paid for, so the people who can least afford it, are going to see their rents triple. 54% of those who receive housing assistance are elderly or disabled. This increase isn’t designed to inspire people to work more. The point is to cut costs for the federal government by forcing people who are on fixed incomes to stretch their limited funds even further to keep a roof over their heads.
The Trump administration is harming the elderly, the poor, and disabled as an act of cruelty.
The only guiding policy of this administration is to take from those who have the least and give it to those who have the most.
Heartlessness is the defining characteristic of Trump and everyone in his administration.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
