NAHB Moves Swiftly to Advance Cause of Fair Housing

Codes and Standards
Published

President Trump tweeted comments on repealing the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule earlier this week that caused concern within the housing community. Trump told suburban residents that they would “no longer be bothered” by having low-income housing built in their neighborhoods.

While NAHB believes there are serious flaws in the AFFH rule as written as well as legitimate concerns on how the program would be implemented, that cannot excuse the remarks that were made by the president. NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke made this perfectly clear when he issued a statement to members that said: “NAHB has taken a strong stand that it supports the intent of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing while acknowledging that the rule has had serious problems in implementation at the state and local level. Unfortunately, when the president decided to repeal the rule, he took a line of attack that was uncalled for. NAHB supports the creation of affordable housing wherever it’s needed, including suburban areas.”

Unlike other groups that resorted to simply throwing out empty statements, hollow condemnations and then lauded themselves for their stance, NAHB moved into action by reaching out to the White House and succeeded in getting the administration to agree to a meeting.

Our efforts resulted in a one-on-one call with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, who clarified his concerns with the AFFH regulation and reasonable intentions to rescind the rule. The secretary pledged that HUD intends to honor and enforce the Fair Housing Act while providing local governments and citizens -- and not “unelected bureaucrats” -- the tools and appropriate federal oversight necessary to determine the housing needs of their communities.

Secretary Carson urged NAHB and its members to look at the totality of the Trump administration’s commitment to housing and housing affordability and not focus on the president’s recent tweets. These commitments and clarifications by the administration could only be achieved by the efforts and clout of this association, the premier housing organization in Washington. While Secretary Carson said that he would work with relevant stakeholders to truly advance the goals of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, he received NAHB’s bedrock commitment to produce housing for all Americans so they may live in a home of their choice in a community of their choice.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Digital Media | Membership

Jun 30, 2025

Top Builders List Spotlights NAHB Members

In its latest May/June 2025 issue, Pro Builder unveiled its Top 200 (formerly Housing Giants) report, which ranks the top U.S. home builders by revenue, and looks at the top trends affecting the business of home building.

Legal

Jun 27, 2025

Supreme Court Limits Nationwide Injunctions

In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for NAHB members, the Supreme Court today issued a 6-3 ruling that would limit the use of nationwide universal injunctions. A universal injunction stops the defendant from taking an action against anyone, anywhere.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jun 30, 2025

2024 New Single-Family Starts by Census Division

Despite persistently high mortgage rates, elevated financing costs for builders, and a shortage of buildable lots, single-family starts rebounded in 2024, following two straight years of declines.

Economics

Jun 27, 2025

2025 First Quarter State-Level GDP Data

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in ten states in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the last quarter of 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Economics

Jun 27, 2025

State and Local Property Tax Revenue Grows in the First Quarter

In the first quarter of 2025, state and local governments experienced an increase in property tax revenue growth. On a seasonally adjusted basis, state and local government property tax revenue grew 1.1% over the quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s quarterly summary of state and local tax revenue.