Chairman Hill, Oversight Chairman Meuser Release Staff Report on Public Housing Agency Failures

Today, House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Dan Meuser (PA-09) released a staff report titled “Failing the Tenant: Challenges and Opportunities Facing Public Housing Agencies.”

Throughout the 119th Congress, the Committee Majority staff led a comprehensive investigation into public housing agencies’ (PHAs) failures and how the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has conducted oversight of certain federal housing programs. The Committee engaged with PHAs across the country and reviewed more than 100,000 pages of documents.

Federal law requires PHAs to ensure that housing provided is in a decent, safe, and sanitary condition. Yet, the Committee staff report details how PHAs have often failed to meet these requirements given management, operational, and oversight issues. The report includes recommendations on improvements PHAs can make to enhance housing quality and financial sustainability. The report also highlights legislative and regulatory reforms that could be explored to strengthen HUD's oversight of PHAs while cutting the red tape and misaligned incentives that stand in the way.

Click here to view the report.

“Americans living in federally supported housing deserve access to housing that is safe, clean, and livable,” said Chairman Hill. “PHAs exist to deliver on that promise. Unfortunately, as we've seen firsthand in my hometown of Little Rock, too many PHAs are failing the tenants who rely on them and the taxpayers who are footing the bill. I thank Subcommittee Chairman Meuser for his work holding PHAs accountable, protecting tenants, and for advocating for responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

“Public housing is meant to provide a safe and stable place for families in need,” Subcommittee Chairman Meuser said. “Unfortunately, mismanagement and a lack of accountability are wasting taxpayer dollars meant to support our most vulnerable citizens and leading to unacceptable living conditions. The failures our committee has uncovered at troubled PHAs show that taxpayers and residents pay the price when their leadership falls short. Congress must give federal regulators the tools to hold poorly managed PHAs accountable with stronger leadership standards, better oversight of taxpayer funds, and a greater focus on collecting rent and maintaining properties. I appreciate Chairman Hill’s leadership, as well as President Trump and HUD Secretary Scott Turner for their efforts to enhance federal support for public housing and demand greater accountability from PHA leadership.”

Background:

July 26, 2019: Chairman Hill and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced the Housing Accountability Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to hold Section 8 landlords accountable for poor living conditions.

September 7, 2023: Chairman Hill sent a letter to former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge requesting information on the Metropolitan Housing Alliance (MHA), the City of Little Rock’s housing authority, including its financial mismanagement, housing inspection failures, potential enforcement actions, oversight of conflicts of interest, and related corrective action documents.

October 6, 2023: HUD sent Chairman Hill a letter outlining enforcement options for MHA’s financial and management deficiencies, including potential default proceedings, while pledging to maintain housing assistance and conduct further oversight.

January 12, 2024: Chairman Hill sent former HUD Secretary Fudge a letter requesting updates on HUD’s investigation into MHA, and sought answers on potential violations, enforcement actions, financial solvency, and pending corrective measures.

February 27, 2024: HUD Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Kimberly McClain, sent a response letter to Chairman Hill confirming HUD found MHA in violation of its Public Housing and Section 8 agreements and is determining next steps to bring the housing authority into compliance.

May 22, 2024: The Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing entitled “PHA Oversight: How Scandals and Mismanagement Harm Residents and Taxpayers.”

February 9, 2026: Chairman Hill, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Dan Meuser, and Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01) sent letters to 32 Public Housing Agencies designated by HUD as Troubled, seeking information on living conditions, management, and financial oversight.

February 10, 2026: The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing entitled “Building a Solid Foundation: Restoring Trust and Transparency in Public Housing Agencies.”

March 13, 2026: The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a field hearing in Little Rock, Arkansas, examining mismanagement and alleged misconduct at MHA and its impact on residents.

April 13, 2026: Chairman Hill, Subcommittee Chairmen Dan Meuser and Mike Flood, and Representatives Tim Moore (NC-14) and Troy Downing (MT-02) urged the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas to investigate allegations of theft, embezzlement, and fraud raised during the Little Rock field hearing.

June 24, 2026: The House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which included reforms to: improve HUD’s Section 8 and Section 9 housing programs; make HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program, which modernizes public housing units, permanent; upgrade landlord participation in Section 8; and strengthen oversight of troubled PHAs.

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