The Trump administration today announced a proposed rule that would seriously weaken community efforts to enable all households to secure housing without facing discrimination.

Our Vice President for Housing Policy, Peggy Bailey, says in a statement:

The rule would largely reverse 2015 regulations designed to ensure that housing agencies and communities receiving Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding fulfill their obligations under the 1968 Fair Housing Act. That law requires them to identify barriers to housing access for certain specified groups and take affirmative steps toward ending housing discrimination and reversing damage from many decades of residential segregation and racist housing policies.

If the rule takes effect, ongoing housing discrimination and segregation will likely continue to be swept under the rug and HUD resources will do far less to reduce segregation and expand housing opportunities for people of color, people with disabilities, and other protected groups.

This proposal comes on top of another Trump administration rule from August that would make it significantly harder for families or the federal government to fight local housing policies and practices that restrict access to housing.