California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined forces with 17 other attorneys general to send a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The letter opposes the Trump Administration's interim final rule that changes the department's obligations under the Fair Housing Act. The coalition argues that this new rule undermines HUD's duty to prevent discrimination in housing and weakens the requirement for grantees to certify compliance with affirmatively furthering fair housing standards.
The Fair Housing Act mandates that HUD ensures nondiscrimination in housing sales and rentals, while promoting integration and addressing segregation's negative consequences. According to Attorney General Bonta, "During the first Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tried repeatedly to abandon its legal obligation to facilitate fair housing. My office took a leadership role in fighting back, and we’re doing so again now."
The letter claims that the interim final rule violates the Fair Housing Act by not requiring meaningful evaluations to reduce segregation. Additionally, it criticizes the rule's lack of specific planning processes for fair housing, arguing that it depletes HUD’s oversight capabilities. Bonta states that the change will hinder California's ability to fight housing segregation, provide equal housing opportunities, and combat homelessness.
Attorney General Bonta partnered with Massachusetts Attorney General Joy Campbell and New York Attorney General Letitia James in leading this initiative. The attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington also participated.
A copy of the comment letter is publicly available for review.