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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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Housing Secretary Scott Turner, who was confirmed by the Senate earlier this month, announced last week that a Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) task force is working to streamline operations in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to Turner, the task force was charged with eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse"—but little more is known about what changes DOGE is planning to implement within the department.
A HUD spokesperson told Newsweek that the department is "more concerned about identifying and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse than a time limit" for the DOGE taskforce's operation.
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Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has tapped DOGE, lead by Elon Musk, to shrink the "bloated" size of the federal government and cut spending across its agencies, including by firing thousands of employees and slashing programs that do not align with his political agenda.
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Turner's announcement revealed that HUD is among the many departments DOGE is looking into, and where it's likely to implement significant cuts.
What to Know
Last week, Trump told reporters that "just about everybody [in the federal government] is going to be looked at. They're doing a hell of a job," he said of DOGE, dubbing the new department's employees "the force of super-geniuses."
The DOGE task force launched by HUD will review how the department spends American taxpayer dollars, according to Turner. The housing secretary said that the task force is made up of HUD employees "who will examine how to best maximize the agency's budget and ensure all programs, processes and personnel are working together to advance the purpose of the department."
He said the task force will meet regularly and report its findings and suggestions to him, but didn't specify a timeline for these meetings. Speaking to Real America's Voice in mid-February, Turner said that the task force has already identified over $260 million in savings "in contracts alone."
On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "The American taxpayer is no longer writing a blank check for federal contracts and programs. Americans voted for reform and we're delivering it for @POTUS."
The secretary, however, did not offer any details of where exactly these savings were made and it is not known what DOGE's audit has found so far.
Earlier this month, HUD fired hundreds of employees who were on probation at the time. The agency is also planning to cut its workforce by 50 percent, the equivalent of 4,300 employees.
An exclusive by Fox News aired on Sunday revealed that DOGE's task force identified $1.9 billion in "misplaced" funds and started cutting $260 million in "wasteful" contracts.
Turner said that these allegedly misplaced funds were supposed to be used for administrative services that help HUD carry out their services.
"When you don't use these funds, they don't just go to the next year, you are supposed to notify the Department of Treasury that these funds are now available for other federal expenditures. That did not happen," he said.
These funds, Turner said, "have been deobligated to the U.S. Treasury so they can be used to better serve the American people."
The housing secretary also confirmed cutting $4 million in diversity, equity and inclusion-focused (DEI) contracts; the secretary called DEI programs "dated."
What People Are Saying
Housing Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement: "HUD will be detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent to serve rural, tribal and urban communities. Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we are no longer in a business-as-usual posture and the DOGE task force will play a critical role in helping to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and ultimately better serve the American people."
In an update published on X on Tuesday, Turner wrote: "In less than one month at HUD, we have cut waste, taken an audit, and delivered results for the American people. As I travel the country, I look forward to hearing how we can uplift our most vulnerable. We're just getting started on delivering for @POTUS and ALL AMERICANS."
Edward Pinto and Tobias Peter, co-directors of the American Enterprise Institute's Housing Center, wrote in an opinion piece for the conservative Washington Examiner: "A proper forensic audit must go beyond surface-level reviews. It must trace every subsidy dollar from its initial disbursement to its ultimate effect on housing supply and affordability and be done site-by-site.
"Many housing projects are built with multiple layers of taxpayer-funded subsidies, only to be torn down and rebuilt with a new round of subsidies or to require additional government funding years later for rehabilitation while still receiving ongoing rent subsidies for tenants who cannot afford the units on their own."
What Happens Next
Turner has promised to support vulnerable Americans in getting quality and affordable homes at a time when many are feeling the pinch of the ongoing housing crisis. Trump made similar promises during his 2024 presidential campaign, saying he would increase inventory and lower housing costs for Americans.
However, some experts fear that some of the president's policies, including tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico and mass deportations, could have the unwanted effect of increasing construction costs, undermining efforts to increase supply, and sending the cost of housing up further.
Update 3/3/2025, 7:32 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a HUD spokesperson.
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