Scott Turner, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks in Erie, Pennsylvania, on May 28, 2025. [Flickr/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]

The Trump administration will crack down on housing assistance fraud, following a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report that identified billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent payments after fiscal year 2024.

"The rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars during the Biden administration, along with the administration's failure to implement strong financial controls, has effectively incentivized billions of dollars in potentially improper payments," said HUD Secretary Scott Turner in a press release on Monday, the 29th.

Turner added, "HUD will continue to investigate these shocking results and take appropriate action to hold bad actors accountable."

According to HUD's analysis, out of a $70 billion budget, HUD made "questionable" payments totaling approximately $5.8 billion.

Of this amount, approximately $1.5 billion was found in Tenant-Based Rental Assistance programs, and $4.3 billion was disbursed through Project-Based Rental Assistance programs. This means that potentially fraudulent payments accounted for over 25% of PBRA expenditures.

Furthermore, an assessment of 4 million tenant records revealed "eligibility issues" for over 200,000 tenants. Approximately $150 million was paid to 9,472 tenants with invalid Social Security numbers.

Around $77 million was paid to 30,000 deceased tenants who remained enrolled in or received rental assistance programs after their deaths.

In the report, HUD's Senior Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Irving Dennis, noted that HUD's internal controls and governance had deteriorated under the Biden administration.

Dennis stated, "This review found weakened internal control frameworks, poor record-keeping, instances of individuals exceeding their authority or having conflicting roles, and the removal of effective oversight governance structures."

The second Trump administration made transparency in federal spending a major priority, yet also signed legislation like the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' that significantly increased the deficit.

The national debt surged twice in 2025, surpassing $37 trillion in August and crossing the $38 trillion mark just months later.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Editor, NNP, and Special Contributor to this newspaper. NNP info@newsandpost.com