[Pages H4944-H4945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

HUD TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2025

Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 225) to require the Inspector General of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development to testify before the Congress annually,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 225

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``HUD Transparency Act of
2025''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.

Not later than October 1 of each year, the Inspector
General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
shall appear before the Committee on Financial Services of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and present
testimony on the Office of Inspector General's--
(1) efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse;
(2) ability to conduct and supervise audits,
investigations, and reviews;
(3) actions to identify opportunities for the programs of
the Department of Housing and Urban Development to progress
and succeed;
(4) recommendations to improve overall efficiency and
public accountability of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development;
(5) assessment of the extent to which the Department of
Housing and Urban Development has resources sufficient to
carry out its statutory mission; and
(6) ongoing activities regarding any such additional work,
as appropriate.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Davidson) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.

General Leave

Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 225, the HUD Transparency Act.
I thank the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman De La Cruz, for
sponsoring this legislation.
The HUD Transparency Act of 2025 is a piece of commonsense
legislation that strengthens accountability, enhances oversight, and
ensures the American people have a clear view into how Federal housing
dollars are spent.
For years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, has
administered programs that touch millions of families, seniors, and
veterans in communities across our Nation. These programs are critical.
They support affordable housing development, combat homelessness, and
help communities recover after disasters.
Unfortunately, over the years, in my view, the agency has shown time
and time again they are unable to perform some basic functions. The
agency continually fails to hold local public housing authorities
responsible for providing safe housing.
Reports from the inspector general, the Government Accountability
Office, and our own committee have repeatedly identified some of the
same issues: outdated and incomplete reporting, inconsistent and
unverifiable data, missed deadlines, and major programs operating
without clear evidence of effectiveness.
As the branch with the power of the purse, it is Congress'
responsibility to ensure tax dollars that go toward HUD's programs are
managed effectively, efficiently, and transparently. H.R. 225 delivers
on that responsibility.
This bill requires the Office of the Inspector General of the
Department of Housing and Urban Development to annually testify before
Congress so we can ensure the Department is meeting its performance
reporting and management standards. By requiring the HUD Inspector
General to appear in front of Congress, Ms. De La Cruz's bill makes HUD
take the necessary steps to publish key performance information, report
program outcomes in a timely manner, and makes the data available so
Congress and the public can better ensure Federal housing programs are
meeting their goals.
The HUD Transparency Act is a straightforward, bipartisan solution to
a longstanding problem. HUD needs to use consistent reporting formats
so Congress can compare outcomes across programs and track progress
over time. It ensures that the American people can see how their tax
dollars are being used.
These are basic principles of good governance. Transparency
strengthens public trust and improves program performance. It allows
Congress to address problems early instead of after tax dollars have
been wasted or ones in need have been left behind.
Importantly, this bill does so without imposing new burdens on State
or local governments and without slowing down the delivery of critical
housing assistance. H.R. 225 simply ensures that HUD operates with the
openness and accountability the American people expect and deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. De La Cruz for this important measure, and I
urge our colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 225, the HUD Transparency Act
of 2025, sponsored by Representative De La Cruz.
Oversight is a core function of the Financial Services Committee.
Inspectors general also play a critical role in providing transparency
about the functions of government, as well as holding government
officials accountable.
They are able to do this because they are independent of the
officials they oversee, and until recently, were only removed for
cause.
However, since taking office, President Trump has fired over 20 IGs
across the government. The majority of these IG firings took place in
the first week President Trump took office and violated lawful removal
procedures as they came with no warning or rationale.
In fact, the Trump administration has kept more than three in four
presidentially appointed inspector general positions vacant and without
Senate-confirmed leadership.
These actions not only silence future IGs but leave the public less
informed about critical activities happening across agencies.
Dangerously, Trump's actions, combined with Republican House
leadership who are unwilling to investigate anything Trump's team does,
enable the Trump administration to be entirely unaccountable.
Notably, the HUD Inspector General this bill would require to testify
before our committee was one of the people Trump arbitrarily fired
earlier this year.

[[Page H4945]]

Since that firing, the acting HUD IG has been replaced again, and
there is no one being considered by the Senate for confirmation. As a
result, no one in this Chamber knows when our committee will be able to
receive this testimony.
That said, and while I support this bill, this debate ignores the
real and urgent challenges facing HUD and our housing market, and how
the President and his administration are actively taking steps to
undermine efforts to address the affordable housing crisis.
For example, where is the legislation from our Republican colleagues
to stop Trump's plan to gut existing permanent supportive housing that
could force more than 170,000 people back on the streets? Twenty States
and D.C. have already sued HUD citing the plan as chaotic and unlawful.

{time} 1750

Mr. Speaker, where are their investigations into the Director of the
Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, who is weaponizing the
housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for politically
motivated witch hunts and trying to lock new home buyers into 50-year
mortgages?
If Republicans wanted to lower housing costs, why aren't they calling
to exempt materials like lumber from Trump's tariffs or why aren't we
negotiating the ROAD to Housing Act so that it can be included in NDAA
and quickly passed into law?
Mr. Speaker, the invitation to my colleagues on the other side of the
aisle is open. Join us in finally taking steps to address the rising
costs of housing. The American public wants us to lower their bills,
and Democrats have numerous ideas about how to do that. Join us in
ensuring that the HUD inspector general has the independence to do
their job without fear of retaliation when they uncover corruption or
abuse of power.
We will join Republicans in passing this bill today, but we need to
finally get to work to deliver real change for the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Congressional
Budget Office estimate for this bill.

H.R. 225, HUD TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2025, AS REPORTED BY THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES ON JULY 15, 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, millions of
dollars--
-----------------------------------
2025 2025-2030 2025-2035
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct Spending (Outlays)........... 0 0 0
Revenues............................ 0 0 0
Increase or Decrease (-) in the 0 0 0
Deficit............................
Spending Subject to Appropriation * * **
(Outlays)..........................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* = between zero and $500,000.
** = not estimated.

Increases net direct spending in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036? No.
Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2036? No.
Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? No.
Mandate Effects:
Contains intergovernmental mandate? No.
Contains private-sector mandate? No.
H.R. 225 would require the Inspector General of the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to testify
annually before the Congress on different topics including
the sufficiency of the agency's resources, actions taken to
identify opportunities for program improvement, and the
inspector general's ability to investigate and audit HUD
programs to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.
Using information from the agency, CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 225 would cost less than $500,000. Any
related spending would be subject to the availability of
appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Zunara Naeem.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.

Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).
Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R.
225, the HUD Transparency Act of 2025.
This commonsense legislation requires annual testimony from the
Department of Housing and Urban Development's inspector general. By
doing so, the HUD Transparency Act adds formal oversight over HUD that
does not currently exist.
In the past, Congress has gone years without hearing from HUD's
inspector general. With a budget that exceeds $70 billion, we must have
proper oversight over HUD to ensure housing programs are working for
all Americans.
That being said, my bill will require the inspector general to
provide Congress with recommendations and insights into reforming HUD's
programs and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in our Federal
spending.
Housing issues impact all Americans. I commend this administration
for their focus on restoring the American Dream of homeownership by
bringing down housing costs and cutting red tape. Our HUD programs play
a critical role in increasing the affordable housing supply and access
nationwide.
However, the success of HUD's programs relies on the Department's
ability to root out fraud, waste, and abuse. The HUD Transparency Act
aids in this by adding critical oversight to ensure that those who
qualify for HUD's programs can receive the housing assistance that they
need.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, this legislation has a strong record of
bipartisan support, including passage in the House in the 118th
Congress.
As this legislation continues to receive overwhelming bipartisan
support, I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
join me in passing this important piece of legislation, the HUD
Transparency Act of 2025.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, HUD plays a vital role in providing safe and affordable
housing to families all across the United States. Families depend on
HUD's programs to keep a roof over their heads.
H.R. 225 would allow Congress and the public to hear directly from an
independent oversight authority, provided one is ever confirmed, and
offer more transparency into the functions and operations of HUD,
especially at a time when Trump's appointees are abusing their power.
I again urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
For the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 225, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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