New York Attorney General Letitia James leads the charge with a coalition of 18 attorneys general to push back against recent changes by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These changes are seen as a step backward in enforcing fair housing rules that have been in place for decades. Attorney General James and her counterparts are calling for HUD to continue upholding the standards that promote fair housing and to backtrack on its new interim rules that scale back on promoting integration and acknowledging segregation in housing. In their comment letter, they argue these rules are not only a dereliction of HUD's civil rights responsibilities but also against the statutory mandate set by the Fair Housing Act.
Announced in March 2025, HUD's interim final rules diminish the agency's previous efforts to combat housing discrimination, much to the chagrin of advocates for fair housing. The previous requirement, which mandated grantees to certify compliance with efforts to further fair housing before receiving federal funding, has been notably weakened. "It is a shame that the Trump administration is trying to walk back HUD’s responsibility to prevent housing discrimination in communities across our country," said Attorney General James, criticizing the policy change in a statement. The attorneys general, joined by walking together across 17 states and the District of Columbia, are united in their opposition to the policy shift, as reported by the Office of the New York State Attorney General.
Housing discrimination and the persistence of segregation affect many Americans in dire need of equal housing opportunities. Last month, Attorney General James co-led a coalition to urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for reinstating funding for fair housing organizations. Recently, Attorney General James intervened to halt the discriminatory housing practices of two brothers and their spouses who own rental buildings in New York's Capital Region. Furthermore, with a $970,000 grant back in February, the Attorney General's commitment to extending fair housing testing and enforcement in New York's Capital Region was solidified.
In alignment with their mission to enforce fair housing laws and combat discriminatory practices, the collective of attorneys general is not pulling their punches. Earlier actions taken by Attorney General James, like securing a $400,000 payment from Shamco Management Corp. for denying housing opportunities to low-income tenants in New York City or reaching an agreement with real estate broker Pasquale Marciano to stop discriminating against low-income renters, are testament to her firm stance on the issue. The comment letter emphasizes that HUD's proposed rule is unsupported by facts and essentially guts HUD’s oversight needed to identify and address barriers to fair housing, a requirement under the Fair Housing Act.
These state attorneys general, alongside Attorney General James, are prepared to fight for the restoration of fair housing rules to ensure that all Americans have equal access to housing opportunities.
