House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform leaders want to know why taxpayers are footing the bill for thousands of middle-class and affluent families to live in public housing.
Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets Chairman Rep. John Micah sent a letter to Housing Secretary Julian Castro this week, demanding all documents related to families living in subsidized housing despite earning too much to qualify for it.
Chaffetz is a Utah Republican, while Mica is a Florida Republican.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General last July found more than 25,000 ineligible families received public housing aid in 2014, including one family with a $500,000 income and $1.6 million in assets.
Taxpayers will spend $104.4 million over the next year on families who earn too much to reside in public housing. HUD officials last year said they would try to reduce the number of ineligible people in public housing, but didn’t promise to ensure that only those eligible to live in the units are allowed to do so.
Castro has campaigned with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and is rumored to be a possible running mate for her presidential bid. President Obama appointed Castro as Housing Secretary in July 2014.
The problem of unqualified people in housing meant for the disadvantaged is one of many failures recently reported by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group. The department hasn’t audited one of its programs in particular since its inception, and its books are practically worthless, according to the IG.
Chaffetz and Mica want all records on how HUD officials identify ineligible families, the annual number of people on waiting lists for public housing, and the number of ineligible families living in public housing since 2005. They asked Castro to produce the documents not later than Feb. 5.
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