The Trump administration is reportedly planning an overhaul of federal housing assistance programs that would include the replacement of Section 8 housing vouchers with housing grant systems.
The New York Times, sourcing its coverage from “three people familiar with the matter” and “people familiar with the administration’s thinking,” reports the details related to the changes were currently unclear and would most likely need Congress’ approval. However, the changes could result in lower funding levels for the approximately 2.3 million low-income families that use these programs.
The federal rental assistance programs will exceed $54 billion this fiscal year, but the demand for vouchers is greater than the available funds and wait lists have been growing.
Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, endorsed the ending of the voucher program, writing in a 2022 opinion piece that the program “brings with it crime, decreased property values, and results in dependency and subsidized irresponsibility.” However, Rachel Cauley, a spokeswoman for the White House budget office, told the Times that “no final funding decisions have been made.”
The overhaul proposal could be part of President Trump’s 2026 fiscal year budget, which is now being prepared for delivery to Congress later this spring.
Wouldn’t surprise me if an audit turns up a lot of fraud. It has every where else.
how come nobody is getting charged for all of this so call fraud if this is true?
I sure hope they do!! Give it a minute.
Where Martin has the fraud turned up? All you have is Elon telling you there is fraud. Never any tangible proof. The Section 8 voucher program has helped many low income people find a home. Children, single moms trying to get on their feet are not on the streets homeless. Then again it doesn’t fit with the Trump agenda “Make America White and Rich Again” by taking away from the people who need help. No doubt their is fraud in all of government but you don’t take a chainsaw to it, you go department by department and do true audits and show proof to the American people of the fraud not just blow your mouth off about it. The fraud is this whole administration pulling the wool over their supporters eyes that they no what they are doing and that their only agenda is to line the pockets of the would be dictator and his family. Some people are finally seeing the truth but we have a long way to go before this Country sees we’ve been duped by this administration.
AMEN Deb! I could not have said it better than you did. Absolutely!
I cannot help but reply. I am a property manager and have worked with Section 8 for more than 20 years. I would rather see people housed than unhoused. BUT, the program encourages single parent homes and discourages advancement in income. Yes it helps many single mother homes but there is usually a male, father or not, “living” at the home outside of the program guidelines. Otherwise known as fraud. If the couple decides two get married the mother risks losing the voucher aka golden ticket. The program needs an overhaul to create the right incentives and set a better example for the children.
I’m a long time Realtor. I’ve seen so much abuse in Section 8. One particular Female who does not want to work. I found her high on drugs while claiming to raise a lot of children in house. She moved 2 extra men in house all on drugs. How did Section 8 approve her?
What I’m saying is they need strict monitoring. I ended up having to evict the whole group of drugged people . This female abused the system bad. The kids did not get money. She used it on her habits. Government pays so much per child if you have 6-10 kids you make more than average 2 working families . This is government fraud. Previously administration encouraged this behavior with so many absent Fathers. They gave this female more for drugs high living and more. Kids were sacrificed by her.
I do believe there are many worthy candidates for section 8. Abused women with children. But they must have a work. Program & drug check regularly. Our system has been creating criminals by encouraging non/working homes filled with fatherless children. Where is accountability for each adult? Don’t give to those who abuse system. Set a system in place to teach how to work, how to be responsible to raise a family.
@Elaine D, @Chris You are both absolutely right. Perhaps you both should send a message to President Trump in his Truthsocial.com account. I know he reads them because he has taken some of my suggestions. It’s probably also a good idea to help people on Section 8 get new skills so that they can start earning money on their own instead of permanently depending on Section 8. “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Siting one instance of fraud and then using that to label the program as a waste of taxpayer’s money is a common argument from those on the right who need a justification for stopping benefits that help those in need. Yes, there is fraud, so why not hire more staff to monitor benefits? Instead, Musk is now firing indiscriminately to save a little money. But the result will be more fraud, not less. What a wasted opportunity
Wow, Deb. You have to stop watching the View.
My thoughts exactly…..those women are the MOST annoying on television.
Deb you literally have not read a single thing about what DOGE has done if you think that. Stacy Abrams is currently being investigated for the $2 BILLION grant she was given by Biden for giving people energy efficient appliances and a year in she’s shown to have done practically nothing. Go read before you just recite things CNN told you.
Finally, some families have generation after generation living off the system because it’s easy to collect and not work. I’m in real estate and see this all the time. The system should be for the elderly and those in real need not the young strong and healthy that can work but won’t. Because again it’s easier to just collect from the system.
Deb:
Only one thing you said is right. Help people get on their feet. The problem is that many have made this their way of life. Generation after generation. They have not motivation to get on their feet. The want a roof over their head at tax payers cost.
I can tell you where the fraud is in Section 8, I’ve seen it. Section 8 owners qualify for it, they get a property and then they rent it to others individually and make more money, while they live with a boyfriend or a sister. Another one lives with her boyfriend and lets her grown kids live in her Section 8 townhome. Maybe Trump will set up a better program that will help more of those who really need it than the current corrupt system in place., Deb.
precisely Deb.
this is another money grab by this corrupt and cruel administration that will hurt Americans, Veterans and families.
Mr. Vought’s opinion piece was written in 2022 long before DOGE entered the scene. It’s time for people to take responsibility for their own lives. The population that is responsible should not be penalized for their tax dollars going to people who don’t pull their own weight.
I understand helping others in a time of need but the problem is that too many people have made it a way of life. Set timeframes and terms for this type of assistance.
Section 8 has become a way of life for many. It is abused and as a long time real estate practitioner and property manager I see it first hand. The fact is that people when faced with being able to receive often times nearly 100% of their rent in subsidy or having to determine to improve their situation through training, setting their sights higher than the next month’s subsidy, choose unfortunately to stay in their current situation. Fraud abounds and many game the system and know exactly how far they can push the rules and still receive their vouchers. Many single mothers with children are in the system and there are very few fathers in the homes. I rarely ever see a male receive the assistance. We see people move from city to city staying in the system and never improving their opportunities. It is sad and desperately needs attention.
sorry these people are going to be homeless, but that what streets and sidewalks are made for. Most landlords don’t want to take section 8 anyway, the government has standards and most landlords just want the money. so many corrupt landlords take the free money and don’t keep up the property. the bigger they are the more corrupt.
Let’s see, there was the fellow who had a Section 8 voucher driving a brand New Toyota Tundra looking at one of my lake front rental listings, wanting to improve the view from his current location. And then there was the single mother who kept having children, worked off the books at her mother’s beauty salon (I think she was a silent partner), had all new furniture and huge flat screen tv’s. She told me her section 8 voucher could be passed to her children (she had 4 last I knew) . . . she treated it like their inheritance and carefully protected her eligibility so that she could do that. She had no intention of working though she was perfectly capable of doing so. In fact, she was smart as a whip. What, work and ruin her children’s inheritance? Not going to happen . . .
First its the single mom who moves in. Then the son or the daughter in their 20’s or 30’s move in. Next a boyfriend shows up and finally the dog shows up. I property manage and I have seen this abuse for 30 years. It needs to be revamped. The people getting the money need to abide by the original terms of the lease.
There needs to be more oversight for sec. 8 vouchers. Yes, I have seen abuse, one land lord told me: sec. 8 forever. You need to educate the children and instill in them a work ethic. It does not help that people who want to get off welfare and sec. 8 get punished financially if they get a job. They also would loose Medicaid.
When I was a poor single mother and went to the Welfare office to get help with fuel costs, because I could not pay the oil bill and the apartment was down to 40 degrees, the person at the welfare office told me: Why don’t you go on welfare? I replied: I am young and I can work. But then my work ethic was instilled by my parents.
This is fantastic.
Lots of good input for both sides of the issue.
Please understand section 8 Housing are inspected at least in Florida so you cannot have dilapidated apartments or homes. I do believe there’s absolute fraud and section 8. I see many applicants with very expensive brand new cars, their hair and nails done to the nines yet they are not working and they get 100% voucher. It should definitely be a program to help the homeless and those in need, but there should be a time limit unless they’re are disabled. We have people in our apartments that have been on section 8 for over 20 years. I believe they should allow them to keep healthcare and childcare and it should be a step up system where they should get a job in gradually come off the programs.
I am a realtor and my experience with Section 8 been the following : As a listing agent helping my investor clients rent their condos, apartment units in IL. The vast majority of tenants were single moms, some leaving abusive relationships others trying to raise their income by working and going to school so all these professionals writing all this negative crap answer a few questions for me. Seriously asking, How many voucher holders have you worked with? Have you worked with them in mobility areas? Did you screen them like any other tenant? I’m sure there are good and bad tenants but the narrative that they bring crime and drugs or that there is a lot of fraud is frankly wrong. I saw more crime and fraud during the recession perpetuated by sleazy landlords collecting rents from the south side and skimming equity for YEARS and they never saw a day in jail as they drove their BMW’s and Mercedes Benz to their Lakefront properties. I would love to see that investigated. Wait, that will never happen, that was actually rewarded, Trump & Kuchner family did in New York and they ended up in the White House, go figure.