The Department of Housing and Urban Development uncovered more than $5 billion in “potential payment errors” tied to rental assistance during fiscal year 2024, the final year of the Biden administration. These findings were outlined in HUD’s annual financial report, which flagged massive oversight failures in two major programs: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (vouchers) and Project-Based Rental Assistance.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner didn’t mince words when laying blame on the previous administration. “A massive abuse of taxpayer dollars not only occurred under President Biden’s watch, but was effectively incentivized by his administration’s failure to implement strong financial controls,” Turner said Tuesday. He vowed to continue investigating and to hold bad actors accountable.
The department’s internal review identified a staggering number of irregularities. Among them:
$77 million in payments for deceased individuals — totaling nearly 30,000 people.
$150.3 million in payments to recipients with invalid Social Security numbers — just under 9,500 recipients.
$287.6 million in “excessively high rent” payments — affecting over 165,000 tenants.
Turner said the findings underscore the need for immediate and sweeping reforms, adding that HUD is advancing initiatives from President Trump’s first term to restore fiscal discipline and ensure funds reach vulnerable communities legitimately in need.
The Trump administration has also launched a broad audit of public housing authorities nationwide to root out potential fraud and abuse. Turner said the goal is to eliminate taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants who have exploited loopholes in HUD programs for years.
“No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank or take advantage of HUD-funded housing,” Turner said earlier this year. The effort is part of a broader crackdown being led jointly with the Department of Homeland Security.
In March, HUD and DHS signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate data-sharing about the immigration status of public housing recipients. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described the Biden-era policies as a betrayal of American citizens.
“The Biden Administration prioritized illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens taxpayer-funded housing at the expense of Americans,” Noem said in a press release. “Not anymore. The gravy train is over.”
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