Cleaver, Padilla Lead 100+ Democrats to Condemn HUD Field Office Cuts
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) led more than 100 Democrats in the House and Senate in condemning staffing cuts and potential closures to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Field Offices across the country. In a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, the lawmakers called on HUD to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who were illegally fired from the Department and condemned reports that HUD is considering the illegal closure of nearly two-thirds of field offices nationwide.
“We write to express concern about reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering closing nearly two-thirds of the Department’s field offices, leaving most states and the District of Columbia without critical sites or staff,” the lawmakers wrote. “These reports follow the unlawful mass termination of probationary federal employees, HUD’s announcement that employees at GS-13 and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management would be terminated, and reports that the Department plans to cut its agency-wide workforce by at least half.”
“We strongly urge HUD to maintain existing field offices with adequate staffing levels and to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who have been illegally terminated,” the lawmakers continued.
The letter was cosigned by U.S. Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Becca Balint (D-VT), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Troy Carter (D-LA), Sean Casten (D-IL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Gilbert Cisneros (D-CA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Danny Davis (D-IL), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Cleo Fields (D-LA), Shomari Figures (D-AL), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Al Green (D-TX), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY), Hank Johnson (D-GA), William Keating (D-MA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Sam Liccardo (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), James McGovern (D-MA), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), David Scott (D-GA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Mark Takano (D-CA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Nikema Williams (D-GA), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL).
The letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The official letter from lawmakers is available here.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.